Dragon Tears, Puppy Tears
by AtemYugi69
Summary: Puppyshipping story, lots of adult content.
1. Chapter 1

**Joey's p.o.v.**

I am hanging out in the courtyard at school with my friends for lunch and people watching while getting into arguments with various people. No one really notices when Bakura and Marik sneak off but I do. It reminds me of when I sneak off to see my boyfriend Seto. Yeah I know, it's weird, especially since he and I fight all the time. But under that cold, tough exterior he really is a nice person. Of course that wouldn't stop him from killing me if I ever told anyone that. Tristan and Yugi are talking in the background while Anzu is busy chiming in and staring at Yugi's puzzle like the lovesick fan girl she is. I take my focus off the group for a minute when I see the familiar shape of Seto walking towards us.

"Oi! Moneybags! Come join us!" I call good naturedly across the school yard. Yugi and Tristan immediately stop talking to watch Seto's reaction. Kaiba stops in front of our table and looks at me with a slight sneer; I am the only one who sees the love in it though. His white trench coat billows behind him and he is clutching his ever present briefcase. He is just a few inches taller than me, which always make him seem more imposing and intimidating than he is. Or maybe it is the scowl he wears religiously. His cold cerulean eyes bore into mine and if it was anyone else in my place they would have shrunk down into a whimpering mess on the bench. I stay strong though and meet his glare boldly.

"Seriously, Kaiba, come join us." I smile invitingly. He sniffs in disdain.

"Why would I want to do that, Mutt? I have important work to do that you geeks would only distract me from. No offense, Yugi." Kaiba says coldly before walking on. I stand angrily, causing Tristan and Yugi to latch on to my arms in restraint.

"There's no need to be rude ya big jerk! I was trying to be nice since you aren't exactly welcomed at anyone else's lunch table!" I growl at his retreating back. He pauses for a minute and looks back.

"Because I don't need anybody, Mutt." He says and carries on.

"I aint a damn dog, rich boy!" I yell at his back.

"Prove it, Mutt!" is shouted over his shoulder and it's all Tristan and Yugi can do to get me to sit back down at the table.

"Just let it go, Joey." Yugi says as Tristan tightens his grasp on my chest. Anzu looks like she wants to say something but she is too busy staring at Yugi's puzzle again to form a coherent thought. Yugi sighs and sweat drops as he decides he can't ignore her any longer. A few seconds later and light surrounds Yugi as Yami joins us.

"Come walk with me, Anzu." Yami says in his deep baritone voice. It'd be creepy if Yami wasn't such a good friend of mine. He gets things about me that no one else knows. Anzu squeaks and immediately latches on to Yami's arm as he leads them a few paces away for a quiet conversation. I turn to Tristan to maybe have a bit of a chat and notice him staring longingly at Duke Devlin.

"Hey! You're dating my sister!" I exclaim smacking the back of his head. He grasps his head as he looks at me in surprise.

"I'm just looking!" he says defensively.

"As long as that's ALL you're doing." I growl warningly. As soon as I say that Duke comes trotting over, leaving a wailing crowd of disappointed fan girls.

"Hi guys!" he says cheerfully, but somehow still infusing that seductive tone that the girls eat up. I eye him warily as it seems Tristan goes a bit weak in the knees. It becomes obvious Duke is focusing on Tristan but I am distracted when a sobbing Anzu rushes past the table. I look at Yami and I notice a large sweat drop as he watches Anzu disappear. I fight a smile as I walk over to him.

"What did ya say to Anzu, Yami?" I ask, trying not to giggle. He sighs and looks at me with sharp crimson eyes.

"As if you didn't know." he says, chuckling.

"Hmm. Maybe it was that one thing. No wait. I know what it was. You told her you still sleep with a plushy!"I giggle as Yami smacks me.

"I simply told her I could not return her feelings as I am in love with someone else." He says, and then frowns.

"Besides, the only plushy I sleep with are the ones that Yugi drags into bed during thunder storms." I burst out laughing.

"So when are you gonna tell Yug you love him and his plushy cuddling habits?" I ask, knowingly. Yami cuts me a sideways glance.

"When are you gonna admit about you and Kaiba?" he asks with a knowing look. I stop laughing and stiffen.

"What about me and the rich bastard?" I demand, starting to get scared. Yami rolls his eyes and chuckles.

"Oh, Joey. You should know by now if you have a secret I will most likely know about it. I haven't told anyone though. Seto and your father are your secrets to share when you wish too." he says, patting my head softly. I sweat drop.

"Really, Yami?!" I yell as he chuckles and disappears back into the puzzle, letting Yugi have control again.

"Get back here, Yami! I'm not done talking to you!" I yell at the puzzle, surprising my littlest buddy. Yugi looks at me in confusion.

"What's wrong, Jo? What did Yami say to you?" he asks, with large innocent amethyst eyes. I sweat drop again and face palm.

"Nothing, Yug. It's nothing." I mutter as I look around for the rest of our group. Duke and Tristan have disappeared and I snarl.

"Devlin better be keeping his hands to himself. If I find out Tristan is cheating on my sister I'm gonna kill both of them." Yugi looks at me in confusion again.

"Why would Tristan cheat on Serenity?" he asks.

"It seems he has a thing for Devlin." I hiss, looking around again. Bakura and Marik appear out of nowhere and I jump, falling off the bench with a surprised yelp.

"Jeez! Where did you guys come from? And what have you been doing?" I ask suspiciously as Bakura looks embarrassed and Marik looks smug. Bakura turns bright red and Marik starts whistling, refusing to look at me and Yugi. I sigh. Where is Malik and Ryou when you need them?

"It's almost class time. We should probably head inside." I say just as the bell rings. Bakura looks at me with surprise.

"Since when do you care about class?" he asks and everyone watches me carefully. I sigh.

"I don't. I just ate a big lunch though and need a nap." I say, staying true to my form of being a notoriously lazy student. In fact if it wasn't for Kaiba tutoring me and making me do my homework, I would probably be failing worse than I am. Yugi sweat drops and Marik laughs maniacally. His laugh is truly terrifying, even more so than the look on Seto's face when he found out there was a rumor going around saying that every time he smiled a puppy died. I hid under the bed for two days with Mokuba after that one. Needless to say that rumor died very quickly. I roll my eyes and suppress a shiver as I stalk off towards the buildings, hoping that if I can time it right I will bump into Seto and see if I can get him to admit I'm not a damn dog. One by one the gang heads off to their classrooms. Once Yugi and I are outside our classroom I make the excuse that I have to go to the bathroom, and would he tell the teacher for me. I set off for the bathroom and actually do run into the brunette I was looking for. With a quick glance around us we duck into the bathroom unseen.

"You're late, Pup." Seto growls quietly.

"I had to make sure none of my friends followed me or were suspicious, Seto." I breathe defensively as he pushes me into an empty stall and closes the door behind us, so I am pressed between him and the cool metal wall.

"You know better than to keep me waiting, Pup." Seto breathes in my ear hungrily.

"You could have joined us at the lunch table; I probably would have been able to sneak away with you making excuses for us." I whimper as his breath teases the soft spot on my neck.

"Or you would have had to explain to your friends why I can't keep my hands off of you after I took you right in front of them." Seto growls, lightly nipping at said soft spot.

"Yeah, yeah. You sure do talk big." I tease as I try not to melt into Seto's tall lanky frame. I fail though as Seto wraps his arms around me, one hand knotting in my hair to force my head up and exposing my throat. There is no space between us and I feel my knees go weak as he continues to play with the soft spot on my neck. I can feel his teeth grazing lightly down my throat and I shiver.

"Don't you dare." I hiss, "We are still at school and I have enough trouble hiding the ones you've already given me." Seto slowly sinks his teeth into my soft spot and I groan, my knees giving out completely so he is the one supporting my weight. He chuckles and kisses me passionately.

"Behave, Pup, or I won't let you go to class." Is all the response I get as he kisses me again. When I finally get some air I laugh.

"Well, I don't think that would be beneficial in any way since someone is bound to come looking for me if I don't show up soon." I say with a teasing grin. The insistent buzzing of Kaiba's pager cuts off his retort. He snarls at the little box and suddenly I feel bad for it, and whoever is calling him.

"That'll be work." He says disdainfully. He shoves a hand into a pocket on his trench coat and pulls out his cell phone. Somehow he keeps me in his arms against the wall as he answers the call.

"Kaiba." He snaps. CEO Seto is not someone to mess with. I shiver but I know better than to make a sound. I settle for running my hands through his hair instead and trailing a few kisses down his neck. I silently muse about the poor bastard who had the unfortunate duty to interrupt us. Kaiba runs a gentle hand through my hair as his face goes stone cold to whatever the phone is saying. He presses a quick kiss to my forehead before yelling at the phone.

"You interrupted my lunch break for that?!" he yells, glaring at the phone menacingly. I flinch and feel a stabbing flash of sympathy for the other end of the conversation. That is Seto's 'someone is going to be fired' voice.

"I am very displeased with you. I will deal with this later though. Do not call again unless it is a REAL emergency!" Seto snaps before hanging up and thrusting the offending piece of plastic back into his pocket. He is really pissed now. He growls as he kisses me forcefully and I have no control over my body as my legs wrap around his waist or the moan that escapes my mouth and the other reaction my body has to him. The intensity I feel from him fades a little but not enough for me to feel comfortable just yet. This can only mean one thing for me. He is going to want me home tonight instead of letting me go to Yugi's like I normally do on Wednesdays. I wrap my fingers in his hair as we grind tighter together, eager to remove even the tiniest of spaces between us. We are both panting heavily when we finally break for air.

"Damn you're hot when you're angry, Seto." I gasp. He leans his forehead against mine and sighs as he stares into my eyes.

"I have some business at the office that has to be taken care of. I am leaving after next class. Can you sneak away and meet me before then?" Seto asks quietly, and I hear the need in his voice. I frown. Something is not quite right about this business he has to take care of I am sure.

"I can try, but I don't know. What's wrong?" I ask, deciding to try and get straight to the point. Seto sighs.

"It doesn't concern you, Love. But by the time I get home tonight from the office I want Mokuba in bed and you waiting in mine. Am I clear?" he says, and he shifts into his slightly bossy CEO mode.

"Seto…I'm supposed to stay at Yugi's place tonight. It's Wednesday remember?" I softly argue. Seto looks at me as his face hardens. That's my definite clue that something is really wrong with whatever this supposed business is.

"You will be home with me tonight. No arguments. I need you, Joey. I don't care what you have to say to Yugi or your friends but I need you at home with me." Seto says his hands trapping my face as his eyes bore into me. Swirling in the cerulean depths I see a bit of fear and a whole lot of need.

"Seto…" I whimper. Kaiba kisses me softly and then sighs again.

"Please, my pretty puppy? I swear I will explain later." Seto says, with a tone that says that that is as close to begging I will get before he just takes me straight home now.

"Alright then, Dragon, I will be home for you tonight." I sigh as I press one final kiss to his lips before wriggling out of his arms and the stall. Seto growls and tries to catch me again but I shake my head no since we are most definitely late for class now.

Seto stays in the stall a few moments longer and goes to wash his hands as I fling open the door to find Yugi about to come in.

"The teacher was getting worried, Joey, so she sent me to come find you." Yugi says as I stop in the doorway, surprised. Suddenly I am shoved forward by Kaiba pushing past me and hitting my shoulder. I put on a look of outrage and Yugi sweat drops.

"Hey Kaiba what's the big idea?!" I shout at his retreating form. He simply smirks over his shoulder and says, "You were in my way again, Mutt." I snarl and pretend to lunge at him, causing Yugi's sweat drop to grow bigger and Yami to take over and grab the back of my jacket.

"No, Joey! That is enough!" he yells and I look at him in shock, and uncertainty. I see the brief flash of jealousy in Seto's posture before I turn away though. Seto chuckles in a disdainful way.

"That's right, Mutt. Be a good pup and listen to your friend." He snarls as if in contempt. I silently send a prayer that Yami doesn't say anything before Seto disappears into his classroom.

"Lemme at him, Yami! That pompous prick needs to be taught a lesson!" I growl. Yami just shakes his head.

"I don't know why you guys just don't tell people you guys are dating so you can quit with the rivalry and bickering act." Yami says with a small sweat drop. I am dumbfounded as Yami drags me down the hallway but I recover enough to stick my tongue out at Kaiba as we pass by his classroom. Kaiba rolls his eyes and fixates back on the teacher as we disappear to our own class. Before we go inside the classroom though, I turn to Yami.

"I don't want to ruin Seto's reputation. I don't want him to be shunned or ridiculed because of me. I don't want his business dealings to suffer either. Which I fear might happen if we ever came out publicly." I whisper to Yami. He looks at me with those crimson eyes of his and shakes his head.

"That is your choice, but I do not think Kaiba would care either way. He would look at it as their loss if any business partners shun him. Kaiba Corp is one of the biggest and most productive businesses in the world. Anyone who gives up a deal with them will be easily replaced by those who are smart enough to realize what an asset having such a powerful ally is and who won't care whether the owner is gay or dating someone like you." he says and I just stare at him.

"I…" I say but I can't make my mouth make any other sounds.

"I am giving Yugi back now. You might want to let him know that you won't be staying over tonight. I think you could say you have to babysit Mokuba or something believable like that. Don't use your father." Yami says and I nod dumbly. A split second later and Yugi is back, looking at me worriedly.

"Oh, hey Yug." I say, acknowledging my buddy.

"Wow. What did Yami say to you now?" he asks.

"Uh… nothing. He just gave me another talking to about Kaiba and how I should stop picking fights with him." I say. Yugi looks unconvinced but nods anyway.

"I see."

He moves to open the door and I stop him.

"Hey, Yug, listen. I know I said that I'd come over tonight but Kaiba has some unexpected business and needs me to babysit Mokuba." I mumble, turning red. Yugi looks at me in surprise.

"Why is Kaiba asking you to babysit?" he asks. I swallow nervously.

"Well…. Since my dad kicked me out I've been crashing at his place a bunch and Mokuba is getting pretty attached to me and asked Kaiba if I could babysit him when Kaiba has things to do." I say, looking at the floor.

"Joey?" Yugi says, which makes me look at him in the eyes.

"Are you embarrassed about staying at Kaiba's? Is that why you didn't tell us? And I won't tell anyone else. I swear." I grab my little buddy into a big hug as tears sting my eyes.

"Thank you, Yug. You have no idea what that means to me." I choke out. Yugi pats my back comfortingly.

"I just have one question. Why did Kaiba even agree to let you crash at his place in the first place?" Yugi asks. I cringe and stiffen at the same time. I finally decide on a lie that is fairly close to the truth.

"Um… well… that's mostly thanks to Mokuba. The night my dad kicked me out I go into a pretty bad street fight, remember how I was out of school for like a week a few months back? I managed to crawl to a nearby park and take cover under a tree, where Mokuba found me when Kaiba took him there to play. Mokuba managed to convince his brother to let me stay until I was better. When I finally regained consciousness and told them what happened Kaiba said that I could crash there as often as I needed, just no more getting into fights since he didn't want to keep replacing carpet from blood stains. And of course as long as I don't irritate him while he's working and I can keep Mokuba entertained. Mainly it's just keeping Mokuba busy since Kaiba has to work so much. I apparently am cheaper to keep than the servants who normally did that. But don't tell anyone about that, Yug. Kaiba would kill me if he knew I'd told anyone that story since it makes him look like a nice guy." Yugi nods and I sigh in relief.

"Thanks Bud." I say as we walk into the class.

"You are late, Mr. Wheeler." The teacher says as Yugi and I sit down.

"Sorry, Teach. Nature called." I say, smirking. The teacher rolls her eyes.

"Unless you are talking about your ape cousins I want all four legs of that chair on the ground Joey and no more commentary. If you are late again I will have to give you a detention." The teacher says smoothly and coldly. I know better though. The last teacher who gave me a detention had a personal visit from Seto wanting to know why I wasn't at home when he got there. She retired two days later. But no one else needs to know that story.

"Yes, Ma'am." I say with a sheepish sweat drop. I pick up my pen and try to focus on the lesson when Yugi slips me a piece of paper.

-so if your father kicked you out a few months back and you stopped getting into street fights, who put those marks on your neck and wrists?

-no one!

-right.

-please Yug. just drop it.

-fine. but I am going to be talking to Yami about this and I won't back down until he gives me the answer because I know he knows.

-aww c'mon Yug.

Yugi just smiles serenely and crumples up the note. I sigh and notice how all of the lies seem to be coming to a head now. All because Yami finally got me to actually speak a snippet of truth that I didn't want to. Then I remember something.

-Yami won't tell you anything Yug. he already told me my secrets were mine to tell when I was ready.

-indeed I did, and I must say my aibou is very unhappy with me right now due to that.

-I am sorry Yami.

-just tell him the truth Joey. then at least I can talk to him freely again.

-I can't Yami. I can barely handle the fact that Seto knows.

-and actually did something about it? rather than just sit silently by while you haphazardly covered the marks?

-well that was my doing.

-Joey, how long did you pretend that your dad was still hitting you?

-I

-exactly.

-please Yami. don't make me do this.

-Joey, it is always your choice. coming clean about where you will really be tonight actually frees you more than you think. for once you can come to school and not have to pretend to have bruises because your friends think you went home and had another street fight.

-I have never had to fake bruises…

-so Kaiba likes it rough huh?

-DAMMIT YAMI!

Yami just starts laughing, causing the teacher to look at us suspiciously.

"Mr. Moto! Mr. Wheeler! What are you doing?" she asks seriously.

"It was not Joey, Ma'am. I was just remembering something someone told me at lunch. A joke finally made sense. I am sorry." Yami says suddenly and I look at him in surprise. I'm not the only one either.

"I would expect that sort of behavior from Joey but not from you Yugi." She says a little mystified.

"I'll try not to let it happen again, Ma'am." He says smiling.

"Ok, Mr. Moto." She says, resuming her grading. I cut a glance at Yami and he slides the paper back to me.

-Seto is the one who finally put that bastard away. I can't just lay that part bare to Yugi, or my other friends.

-can't or won't?

-can't. I'm too scared Yami.

-scared of what exactly?

-that they'll hate me for not letting them help me sooner. that they'll hate me for letting Seto of all people be the one to set me free from the hell of my house. I know they probably know that my dad was rough for years but I never let them do anything about it.

-except for Seto.

-only because he knows what it's like.

-I see.

-I was dating Seto before my dad beat me that last time.

-I figured. Kaiba doesn't seem like the type to let that happen more than once.

-he wanted to do something before that but I wouldn't let him. I wanted to do it on my own. I was saving the money to leave and everything. I didn't want to be weak. but my dad hurt me so bad the last time that I almost died, twice.

-and that was when Kaiba sent your dad to prison.

-yeah…

-so then you guys have been dating for awhile.

-yeah. We dated for about four months before I got hurt.

-so then almost eight months now.

-yeah…

-and I guess you have no problems with the intimacy since I have seen the marks.

-DAMMIT YAMI! no… the intimacy is fine. I don't have an issue with Seto ever looking or feeling like my dad.

-even when he gets… rough?

-no. it's hard to explain but Seto makes me feel… safe. I never felt safe like this before. not even with Yugi and the gang.

-yet you confide in me?

-well you already kind of know. that makes it a little different.

-you feel more comfortable since I already know the secrets.

-yeah.

-very well, Joey. I shall make sure Yugi understands that you trust me like he does and I will not break that trust.

-thank you Yami.

-you are welcome Joey.

With nothing else to do until the end of class I lay my head down on the desk and just let the memories that talking with Yami stirred up. It makes me crave alcohol, or Seto, but since I can't have either one at school I let the memories fill my head.

*flashback*

I stumble up to the security booth outside Seto's main gate, struggling for air.

"Master Joseph? Master Kaiba isn't expecting you for another few hours. He's in a meeting right now." the guard says, frowning. I place a steadying hand on the wall and he gets a better look at me from under my baseball hat and hunched over position.

"Oh! What happened?!" he exclaims. I wobble again and sink down the side of the building slightly as I grab my side.

"Please. Get Seto." I whisper just before my vision goes fuzzy and my knees give out. Fortunately the guard manages to catch me before I hit the ground. All around me is a field of noise but I see nothing but black before me. When I wake up I am in Seto's bed and he is laying next to me, tie undone, and hair a mess. Worried blue eyes watch me with dark shadows under them. A glass of water floats in front of my face and I wince as I move to take it. I am covered in bandages and hurt all over.

"Finally, Pup. I thought you were going to die on me. Again. If it wasn't for the screaming when I move away…" Seto says, and his eyes cloud over. He is scowling but I know it's not at me. I drink half of the water and sigh in relief as the water soothes the soreness.

"I'm sorry, Seto. I didn't mean to worry you. I just didn't have anywhere else to go." I whisper hoarsely. My throat feels a bit swollen too. Not that it's that surprising since my dad almost strangled me. Seto's eyes soften even more and he cuddles me closely, carefully avoiding the bandaging and my wounds.

"Your dad did this didn't he?" he asks quietly, and I know he is remembering his own dark past at the hands of his step father.

"He found out about me being gay…" I whisper, shivering as I recollect the fury in his eyes as he swore he would 'beat the gay right out of me'.

"He won't ever touch you again, Pup. I made sure of it. He won't get away like my step father did." Seto growls fiercely. I snuggle into Seto's chest, taking comfort in his scent and the feel of his warm skin. I start to cry as everything is processed in my head.

"Seto, I don't have anywhere to go now! What do I tell my friends? What do I do?" I sob, starting to shake. Seto strokes my hair and cuddles me closer, letting me cry it out.

"You know you always have a place here, Pup. How often do you sleep over anyway? But I can't sit back any longer and watch him hurt you."

"Please Seto, don't do it." I beg.

"He almost killed you, Joey. Do you even know what your wounds are?" Seto growls. I shake my head slowly.

"Concussion, internal bleeding, stab wound, broken ribs, and a fractured wrist. I couldn't even take you to the hospital because I knew they would recognize the hands prints on your throat. You flat lined on me twice. Twice! If you hadn't needed me so much I would have tracked the sorry bastard down and killed him myself. Instead I settled for having a few of my bodyguards collect him and assure his place in a cell. I did it for you as much as him and me." Seto's voice breaks and I feel a slight wetness on my head. I realize then just how scared Seto was for me and how upset he was.

"How is him going to prison just as much for me as you and him?" I ask, confused, the concussion plainly obvious now.

"If he didn't get sent there for the rest of his wretched life and had somehow gotten his hands on you again or you had succumbed to your injuries I would probably be sitting in that cell instead for killing him. What good am I in jail? What happens to Mokuba then? What happens to my company? My whole world revolves around you, Pup. I couldn't handle losing you, not like that." Seto whimpers and I feel my heart break as I listen to him, yet at the same time my heart swells with such love that it feels like I'm going to burst.

"I didn't though, Seto. I'm right here. I'll be fine." I murmur softly, stroking the side of his face gently with my uninjured hand. His piercing blue eyes lock on to mine and I see something almost frightening in them.

"Your screaming was the worst part. If I even left your side for a minute you would start screaming uncontrollably. Mokuba is having nightmares from seeing you when you were first brought inside, from seeing me destroy several rooms in the house, and from hearing the screams you gave. I thought my heart would stop each time I heard you. I kept hearing myself when my step father would start hitting me. Even I am having nightmares when I manage to get some sleep. The doctor knocked you out with anesthesia when he stitched you up and set your bones, but you still screamed and twitched until he finally let me in the room with you. I destroyed my study while that happened. Then when you flat lined I destroyed another room each time. Mokuba still flinches when he sees me and it's been three days!" Seto growls and I flinch, feeling myself go pale as well.

"I-I-I didn't know Seto. I'm sorry." I whisper but Seto shakes his head sadly.

"The worthless piece of shit you call a dad should be sorry, not you, Pup." Kaiba says softly, kissing the top of my head gently. I cuddle up to the blue eyed brunette again and I feel him relax against me as I yawn.

"I love you, my fierce Dragon." I whisper sleepily.

"Sleep my beautiful puppy." Seto whispers as he kisses the top of my head and starts humming our song. I smile as sleep takes me away.

*end of flashback*

A rather insistent poking motion and noise starts to wake me up and I feel my groin react to a nearby presence.

"Dragon…" I moan but the hands I feel are all memory, not reality. A gravelly voice invades my dream and I smile as I recognize Seto's bedroom voice. Only it's not Seto. It's Yugi.

"Joey! Joey! Come on Joey, class is over!" I turn my head and groan again. Suddenly I am crashing to the floor and I yell as I am shocked awake.

"Hey!" I yell indignantly from my position on the floor at Kaiba's feet. Seto towers over me and I instantly know something wrong. His face is livid.

"Class is over, Mutt." he snarls and I shrink back against the floor. Then I glance around me and see the class watching me with held breath. I bristle and stand up so our faces are inches from each other.

"That's no reason to knock me out of the chair rich boy!" I retort. Kaiba is still pissed and I wonder just what I did wrong, or if it is even me he is mad at.

"You were in my seat." He growls and sits gracefully in the desk I was just occupying.

"There's a whole room of desks! You telling me you couldn't have picked one of those?!" I yell. Seto's mouth twitches like he wants to smirk but can't.

"I like this one." he says simply, going to set his briefcase down and knocking me down again to his level.

"You were drooling and moaning. You said my name." Seto hisses under his breath and I suck in a sharp breath. 'SHIT!' I yell in my head as Seto straightens up.

"Just wait rich boy. One of these days I'll teach ya to mess with me." I growl as I stand and brush myself off to join my friends in the doorway. Seto just raises an eyebrow and gives me a half smirk, telling me his message loud and clear. 'Bring it.' his demeanor says and I just ignore him as I stride out of the room, confused because I thought he was leaving after the last class for his office. I frown as I think about it. Did something happen and that's why he was so mad? Then I frown even deeper as I stop in the middle of the hallway. A hand grabs my arm and I am drug into the nearest bathroom by Yugi. He crosses his arms and looks at me with a serious expression on his face. I suddenly feel nervous as hell.

"Spill it, Joey." Yugi says and I swallow, desperately wishing Seto or Yami will appear and save me.

"What?" I ask, my mind suddenly blank from panic. Yugi rolls his eyes and takes a step forward.

"What were you dreaming about, Joey." Yugi says and for a split second I see Seto instead of my best friend.

"Why do you ask?" I stutter nervously.

"You won't answer the question. You're sweating and looking around for an exit. Plus you were drooling and had a ridiculous grin on your face. When we tried to wake you up the only intelligible word you said was dragon. And that was after we heard something like Kaiba when the bell rang. Then you looked terrified when Kaiba actually showed up and kicked you out of your seat." Yugi says as I slide down the wall weakly.

"I-I-I was uh, just uh, um, I-I was hungry." I offer up quietly. Yugi starts tapping his foot and looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Really." He says, starting to smile slowly. The hair on the back of my neck stands up and I shiver.

"Yug, please don't do this." I choke, fear setting in as images of my dad flash through my mind. I start shaking as Yugi goes still and seems to be fighting with himself. The bathroom door is flung open and Seto stands in the doorway, radiating a cold furious presence. He looks at me on the floor and his eyes soften. Then he looks at Yugi and back to me. His eyes turn back to ice and I whimper involuntarily. The door slams shut and Seto comes and kneels by me. He gently touches my face and I let out a deep breath. The tension I was holding melts away and then he stands to face Yugi.

"Moto. What. Are. You. Doing." Seto growls darkly. A quick flash of light around Yugi tells me that Yami is visiting.

"I am sorry, Joey. My aibou did not mean to do that to you. Seto, I know about you and Joey. I figured it out awhile ago, just like I know about his father. Nobody else knows but me. I have made sure of that." Yami says. Seto stiffens and looks vaguely surprised but his main expression is still anger.

"Seto, I want to go home." I murmur, looking at him with my puppy dog eyes. He looks at me with soft blue eyes and I see him melting.

"You're lucky I managed to push my business back a bit and finish out the school day, Pup. But fine, let's go home." Seto says, and then he glares at Yami.

"I want you coming too. We need to have a talk." Seto growls and scoops me up off the floor. He turns on his heel and storms out of the bathroom as Yami follows behind. There are a few whispers and stares as Seto carries me to the car but I keep my eyes closed and pretend to be asleep. Yami slides into the limo first and Seto sets me on the seat gently before climbing in next to me.

"Take us home. Pick up Mokuba on the way." Seto growls to the driver before turning his attention to Yami. I slide over to curl up against Seto's chest, seeking refuge and comfort from the memories plaguing me since I know Seto won't approve of me drinking before I have to take care of Mokuba, but the itch to grab a bottle from the fridge is intense. I'm also hoping to calm him down so he doesn't kill Yami.

"So, you must be Yami then." Seto says and Yami nods. Seto strokes my back comfortingly and I nuzzle my face into his neck.

"How did you come to know about my pup's secrets?" Seto asks quietly.

"I am a five thousand year old spirit. I would like to think I have learned a few things because of that. But I have seen the bruises and marks and heard the poor excuses and I know what kind of person Joey is. It wasn't hard for me to figure it out. Then I put some pieces of your past together and suddenly everything clicked. You shared a similar fate as Joey. Only it was your step father and he died before anyone charged him. Just like Joey you dealt with it to protect your younger brother. When you two started dating, though I am still unsure how that came about, it started a subtle difference in Joey. He became a bit more relaxed, the marks started disappearing and even the way you guys argued changed. I also saw the way you guys looked at each other when you thought no one was watching. Shortly after Joey missed that week of school I knew it had to be his father so I talked to him. He confided in me when I confessed that I pretty much knew everything he was hiding. He told me what you did to his father, that he was pretty much living with you, and how he was scared of announcing that he was dating you. I have not told anyone because Joey asked me not to. Not even the one I share a body with knows. So now Kaiba I have a few questions with you." Yami says and I sense the energy shift as he settles into Pharaoh mode. Seto stiffens slightly and I tense too.

"I fail to see what questions you could have for me since your other half started this whole issue with my pup." Seto snarls. I can feel Yami's glare through my back and I flinch for Seto.

"If you please Kaiba, do not interrupt me. Now I want some blanks filled in. Maybe it will help solve some issues Joey has as well. How do you feel about being secretive about your relationship? Are you concerned about your reputation being harmed if you come out as dating Joey? How did the two of you even put aside the rivalry to start dating?" Yami asks and I whimper as I clutch tighter to Seto's white trench coat. Seto wraps his arms around me comfortingly and returns a glare at Yami.

"Keep upsetting my puppy and I will make sure you suffer, no matter if you are a five thousand year old spirit or not. First, even though it is really none of your business, Joey and I started dating after we met in a bar and got drunk out of our minds. I refused to let him go home in that state so on the way back to my place we started talking. I realized just how much in common we really had, until he got sick in my limo. I was slightly more sober so I helped bathe him when we got back to the mansion. That was when I saw the bruises he was hiding and realized what they were from. It pissed me off that someone was doing that to him. The next morning we kept talking and I realized that all of our rivalry was based on not understanding each other. As well as my own prideful misconceptions and desire to hide the fact that I had envied him. He always seemed so happy go lucky, as if he never had any problems. He earned my respect when I realized just how strong a person he was to go on and be such a nice person even after suffering all he had. I've told Joey that it is his choice on whether we go public or not. I don't mind either way. My reputation is solid; rumors have never touched me because I can ruin whoever tries to destroy me or my loved ones. I'd rather have Joey by my side than a spotless reputation and cold bed." Seto says and I look up at him, desperate for reassurance.

"You really mean that, Seto?" I ask my heart filling with love. He nods.

"I do, Pup. I have told you this before, though not in so many words." Tears sting my eyes and I fling my arms around him tightly.

"I think that helps put some of Joey's fears to rest. Can I tell Kaiba those fears Joey?" Yami says, and I nod, unable to speak.

"Joey was scared that coming out would hurt your reputation or your business and he didn't want that. He was trying to protect you in a sense, as you are protecting him. He has also been afraid that his friends would hate him for allowing you to do something about his father when for years he has been fighting that battle on his own. He is afraid that they'll hate him for dating you." Yami says quietly.

"I see." Seto says and looks lost in thought. Yami appraises Kaiba and suddenly I speak up.

"Shouldn't we have arrived at Mokuba's school by now?" I ask. Seto nods and frowns.

"Where are we?" he asks the driver sharply.

"Stuck in traffic, just a block away from young master's school." The driver calls back. Seto slams the privacy screen back up, cursing about incompetent fools. I touch his shoulder gently and he grunts.

"Yes, Pup, I know. I should be nicer to my staff." He growls. Yami bursts out laughing. I look at him in questioning and he quickly tries to compose himself.

"It is just that you two are so alike, yet so different. Right now I just had a vision of that differentness and I swear it is like you two are hikari and yami." Yami says and I am confused.

"What is a hikari? And a yami?" I ask. But Seto smiles gently and answers instead of Yami.

"Hikari is light, Yami is dark. It is like yin and yang, two halves of a whole. I am guessing Yugi and Yami are bonded in that sense as well." Yami nods in agreement to Seto's words and I look at Seto playfully.

"So then which one of us is the hikari and who is the yami?" I ask. Seto looks at me lost in thought but it is actually Yami who answers.

"Joey, you are the hikari to Kaiba's yami. Even though you both have seen the dark and been touched by it, Seto is the only one who still embraces it. You ground each other as a compliment. You, Joey, keep Kaiba from slipping too dark, while Kaiba, you keep Joey from being too exuberant. Kaiba is actually very lucky, because he is one of the few people who have more than one hikari."

"I have more than one?" Seto looks at Yami like he is nuts. "I am faithful in my relationship with my puppy." Yami shakes his head, smiling.

"You also have Mokuba. Mokuba is a hikari, just like Joey. Both are yours. Mokuba will never complete anyone like he helps complete you." Yami says and I am left confused once more, but it has to wait since Mokuba bounds into the limo ecstatic to be picked up early.

"Big brother! Joey!" he cries as he launches his small body at us both, making a very awkward yet warm group hug. Then he notices Yami in the corner.

"Oh, hi Yugi." Mokuba says, uncertainly. Yami laughs.

"Actually, Mokuba I'm Yami. Yugi is letting me visit for awhile to talk to your brother and Joey." he says with a smile. Mokuba just cocks his head to the side as if confused.

"So you know about my brother and Joey dating then." He says. Seto puts a hand on Mokuba's shoulder.

"Mokuba, that's enough. Driver, I think we can drop Yugi off at his house now. Then drop me at Kaiba Corp and take Mokuba and Joey home." Seto says, before turning back to where we are all looking at him in shock.

"Seto!" I exclaim, trying not to openly chastise him for being rude.

"Enough, Pup. I have business to take care of. I have neglected it for too long. I have heard what I need to from Yami, and he has heard what he needs to. If you want to tell your friends I have always said it is your decision. That being said, thank you Yami, for helping me set some things straight. Although, maybe next time you can help Joey understand his friends won't hate him if they are the true friends they claim to be. Maybe make a move on your own hikari as well. Mokuba, bed will be early tonight. No whining. I am having a night with Joey, alone." Seto concludes and Mokuba pouts in the corner silently.

"Thank you for hearing me out, Kaiba. I will take your suggestion into consideration the next time I speak to Yugi." Yami says politely. We all fall into silence as I think about all that was said. As Yami exits the limo I make a snap decision.

"Yami? You can tell Yugi everything I have told you. I don't want you to keep my secrets any longer. Tell him I will talk to him tomorrow after school. We can hang out at the arcade or something." I say, locking eyes with the crimson eyed male. Yami simply nods.

"Take care, Joey. Kaiba. Mokuba." He says before disappearing into the game shop Yugi's grandpa owns. The limo soon drops off Seto at his company and I whimper as he gives me a hug goodbye.

"Hush now Pup, I will be home soon. Then I won't let you go all night, alright?" he whispers lowly in my ear. I shiver and nod.

"That's my pup." He whispers before patting Mokuba on the head and exiting the limo.

"Alright, Roland, Take us home." I say as I lean back into the seat that Seto just abandoned. A cold shiver runs down my spine and I fight the urge to run to Seto. Something does not feel right and I know something is about to happen. In fact, I am so preoccupied with my thoughts that I don't notice Mokuba talking to me until he goes silent and pokes me rather hard.

"Ah! What Mokuba?" I ask, wincing as I rub my arm.

"You haven't heard a single thing I said have you?" he asks, sounding sad.

"Sorry, kid. I just have an off feeling about that business your brother says he has to deal with." I say as I ruffle his hair. Mokuba nods.

"I don't like Pegasus either." He says and I pale.

"HE'S MEETING WITH PEGASUS?!" I yell and the limo swerves suddenly. Mokuba flinches and I throw open the door to jump out of the moving limo in a desperate attempt to get back to Seto. Mokuba flings himself at me and knocks me down before I can quite achieve my goal.

"NO JOEY WHAT WOULD SETO SAY?" Mokuba yells at me and I push him off me.

"To me jumping out of the moving limo or interrupting his meeting with one of the sleaziest men on the planet?" I ask, growling.

"Yes." Mokuba answers, deadpan as I face palm.

"Well he would scold me for being careless and then for being jealous and paranoid and interrupting his meeting. He would then probably ground me to his room for a week." I snarl, my fists clenching as the feeling of something being wrong intensifies.

"ROLAND! TAKE ME TO KAIBA CORP!" I bellow through the privacy screen, fear raising the pitch of my voice higher.

"But, Sir." Roland says, trying to argue.

"JUST DO IT! SOMETHING IS WRONG!" I yell, starting to panic. Roland recognizes the precursor of a panic attack and quickly turns the limo in an impressive u-turn to speed back to Kaiba Corp. I start hyperventilating and vaguely hear Roland talking on the phone, trying to get a hold of Seto and failing. Mokuba is yelling at Roland and when the limo screeches to a halt I stumble out and into the building.

"JOEY! JOEY STOP!" Mokuba is yelling and I hear Roland freaking out but I cannot stop myself moving forward toward the lifeless lump of white on the ground next to the elevator. The receptionist is drooling on herself, vacant eyed and limp, but I drag myself along the floor even though I am shaking.

"Seto? Seto, please. Answer me, Seto." I beg in my most pathetic voice, as tears well in my eyes.

"Isn't this touching? Kaiba-boy finally has someone to miss him." A cold pompous voice sneers from behind me. I hear Mokuba struggling in someone's grip but I can't help him. My knees are jelly and I am gasping as I touch Seto's cold body.

"JOEY HELP ME!" Mokuba cries and I shake Seto harder.

"Sorry, Joey, but you won't wake him. I have trapped his soul in this card here because he refused to do a deal with me. I also want Kaiba Corp for my own, and with Kaiba-boy out of the way I can have Mokuba here sign it over to me." Pegasus says and I look up at him to see a golden eye peek out from under his silver hair.

"Enough, Pegasus! You cannot use your millennium item like that!" a familiar voice yells from the door way and I look past Pegasus to see Yami, with a glowing Eye of Horus on his forehead.

"Oh, Yugi-boy! How good of you to join us! How is your grandfather?" Pegasus says in feigned surprise. Yami growls and I flinch. He is pissed.

"Fine, no thanks to you. Try and take someone else's soul that I care about again and I will send you to the Shadow Realm permanently." Yami thunders. Pegasus just giggles like a school boy.

"Oh, I would really like to see you try, Yugi-boy. But I have my doubts that you know how. After all, you have not mastered your Millennium Item yet." Yami glares at Pegasus and the puzzle glows a bit brighter. The world around us all goes dark and I feel frozen. I can only watch as a duel stage takes place around Yami and Pegasus.

"Then I challenge you to a Shadow Game, Pegasus. If I win you give the souls you took back, and if you win then I will give you my puzzle." Yami says, and I want to cry out no but I can't. Yami is good, and a five thousand year old spirit, and the Pharaoh that actually created the Millennium Items but Pegasus is a sleazy cheater and can't be trusted. Pegasus just smiles like a kid at Christmas and takes his spot in the duel arena.

"Alright then, Yugi-boy, let's duel." He says, and a cold feeling travels down my spine as his left eye glints.

"Let's duel!" Yami exclaims as their life points appear on the counter. I watch the duel through fuzzy eyes. All I can think of is Seto, how much we won't get to do now. I want a drink so badly that my mouth is dry like chalk. Attacks ricochet in the background and an agonized yell is what finally drags me out of my stupor. Yami still has a glowing eye on his forehead and Pegasus is crying. Yami has fifty life points still while Pegasus's reads zero. One of Pegasus's henchmen picks him up and a couple cards fall out of his pocket. As I watch, the pictures painted on them fade and Yami turns to me.

"It is alright Joey. Just breathe." He says before walking out of Kaiba Corp. I look down at the lifeless heap on my lap and start crying again.

"Shh, Pup. Stop that." A familiar voice says and I look down to see haunted blue eyes looking at me.

"Oh, Seto." I gasp as I bury my face in his chest. He wraps me in a hug and holds me as I let my panic attack subside. Mokuba crawls over to us and Kaiba wraps him into our embrace as well.

"Are you ok big brother?" Mokuba asks worriedly. Seto nods.

"Let's go home now though. Roland. Help me. Make sure Pegasus gets taken into custody for his attack on us." he says as he shifts Mokuba and I around to stand up.

"Yes, Master Kaiba." Roland says as he helps us all stand and walk out to the waiting car. I crumple into the seat next to Seto and Mokuba shaking uncontrollably, even after Seto wraps his arms around me and hums our song. Mokuba looks at Seto worriedly.

"He will be fine, Mokuba." Seto says quietly. With shaking hands I reach past Seto and Mokuba and grab the bottle of whiskey that is hidden in the mini fridge. Seto sighs as I gulp down the burning liquid without stopping until the bottle is halfway gone. Suddenly Seto takes the bottle and slaps me while Mokuba looks horrified.

"NOT IN FRONT OF MOKUBA!" Seto bellows but I am so far gone I can't even care. The world starts spinning and goes black while Seto shakes me and Mokuba starts crying.


	2. Chapter 2

**Seto p.o.v. flashback**

 _I stroll inside the bar, looking for a chance to unwind without Mokuba harassing me at home. Don't get me wrong; I love the kid to death but sometimes I need a break from everything, especially after a bad day at work. Fucking Pegasus and his games make me sick. I scowl as I take a seat on the bar stool. I order a glass of Jack and Coke, emphasis on Jack. Someone on the dance floor is being obnoxious and I roll my eyes but I find myself glancing over anyway. I am taking a sip when the glass slips from my hand in surprise when I see a familiar blonde head making an ass out of himself. I growl in annoyance at the mess I made when he stumbles over to the bar, slurring horribly as he orders another drink. I am a bit surprised he drinks the same as I do. I would have thought the mutt was a beer drinker, not whiskey. The bartender finishes mopping up my mess and rolls his eyes at Wheeler who is still standing and wobbling a bit dangerously. The bartender hastily mixes up two more tumblers and slides them to each of us. I glare at the blonde angrily._

" _Way to go, Mutt, you made me drop my drink." I snarl as I turn to face him. He giggles a bit and tries to look indignant._

" _Hey, Kaiba. What are you doing here?" he slurs and he wobbles a bit more heavily as he reaches for his drink. I notice a black eye and a shadow on his throat as he faces me again, downing his glass in one swallow._

" _I'm trying to drink away the stress of my day in peace. What about you? Have a fight with one of your precious friends?" I ask snidely. Joey winces and plays with the glass in his hands nervously._

" _Trying to forget the feel of his hands on me." he slurs in a haunted whisper. He shakes himself a bit and sets the glass on the counter for a refill. "Hit me." he says to the bartender with a strained smile. I narrow my eyes a bit and the bartender looks at him dubiously as Joey wobbles even worse. I shake my head and turn away from him as I take a sip of my own drink. I grimace as the sugary taste of Coke overwhelms me, followed by the soothing bite of whiskey. I hand the drink back to the bartender._

" _Needs more Jack." I say as a resounding thud and whimper come from next to me. I look down at the blonde groaning on the floor as he tries to clutch several body parts at once. Laughter echoes around the bar as someone yells a slurred "Timber!" the bartender sighs as he picks Joey off the floor and sets him on the barstool next to me._

" _Sorry, Joey, but I got to cut you off now." the bartender says as Joey whimpers and adjusts his seat. He tries to fix his messed up clothes and my eyes widen a bit as I see more bruises that he is trying to hide. I turn and look at him full on as he fixes his collar and I see a distinct hand print on his throat. Without thinking I grab the blonde's collar and look at his throat closer. Two perfect handprints encircle his throat. He sputters a bit in indignation but I am too strong for him in his drunken state. I notice several people watching us and I drag Joey off to the bathroom for a quiet conversation. I toss him against a wall as I clutch my tumbler of Jack and Coke as bad memories stir in my mind._

" _Who did this to you?" I growl as he fixes his clothes and winces again._

" _I got in a fight." He mutters and my eyes narrow._

" _So help me God, Mutt, tell me the truth, or I swear I will force it out of you." I growl before taking a sip of my drink to calm the memories threatening to surface._

" _What do you care, Kaiba? It's none of your business anyway!" Joey grumbles as he glares at me and I sigh._

" _Who did this to you, Wheeler." I growl in my deadliest voice._

" _I told you I got in a fight!" he yells back defensively and I see the panic in his eyes. That more than anything confirms my suspicions._

" _How long has he been doing this to you?" I ask softly. Joey stiffens and his eyes go hazy._

" _Years." He whispers and that haunted tone comes back. I reach out a hand slowly so he knows what I am going to do. He flinches a bit but lets me touch his shoulder. He shivers and relaxes into my touch, so I pull him into a loose embrace._

" _I am sorry." I murmur, my own memories clouding my judgment. Joey shivers and wraps his arms around me, burying his face in my chest._

" _I can't do anything right, I'm worthless, a nobody. How can I protect my sister when I can't protect myself?" Joey whimpers and I don't hear him I hear myself. My breath hitches and I get a lump in my throat. I pat his back gently and wait while he cries into my shirt. A slamming door startles me and we jump away from each other to see one of the other patrons staring at us._

" _Sorry, didn't know." he says sheepishly as he backs out of the bathroom. I glare at him as he retreats before I turn back to Joey. Joey leans against the wall, breathing hard and shaking again. I sigh and guide him back out to the bar. I set him on one of the barstools and order another round. The bartender slides the drinks down to us and I turn to Joey as he fiddles with his drink, lost in his own head._

" _If you go back home like this what will happen?" I ask quietly. Joey looks at me with panic in his eyes and I nod._

" _Very well. You come home with me then." I say as I drain my glass and order another._

" _What do you want, Kaiba?" Joey asks warily, finishing his glass as well. I shake my head and down the glass._

" _Nothing. I wouldn't wish that kind of treatment on my worst enemy. Not even you. If I can do something about it I want to. Besides, I know what it's like to live like that. Sometimes it helps to have someone to talk to." I say as I down another glass. The alcohol is making me forget the past and numbing the guilt and other self-realizations trying to take over my mind._

" _You won't try anything?" he asks, and I grimace._

" _No, Mutt. I won't make the first move." I say, and he relaxes._

" _What if I make a move?" he asks, downing another glass. I glance at him and we lift our next glass together, seeing who can finish first. I shrug in response and he looks a bit disappointed._

" _Why?" I ask. Joey looks at his feet nervously before polishing off another shot._

" _I'll tell you later." He says uncomfortably as he glances at the door. I see a big man stumble inside with hair like Joey's and I guess it's his father. I pull out my pager and dial Roland's number discreetly. Joey slams another shot and tries to become inconspicuous._

" _Joseph! I know you're here! Don't you ignore me! Come here, Boy!" Joey's father slurs and I clench my fists tightly as Joey cowers against the bar. Roland bursts in the door and knocks Joey's father over as he rushes to me._

" _You called, Master Kaiba?" he asks, breathlessly and I guess he has run all the way here from Kaiba Corp down the street._

" _I am ready to go home. That man you knocked down is in my way and is after something that belongs to me." I say smoothly, even as I am slurring from being pleasantly buzzed. Roland glances at Joey's father struggling on the ground._

" _I shall deal with him while you get in the car, Master Kaiba." Roland says dangerously and I nod. I grab Joey's jacket and drag him behind me as I walk to the car while Roland distracts his father._

" _Why'd you do that?" the blonde asks, wobbling as I help him stand._

" _Would you rather go home and take whatever punishment he thinks you deserve?" I ask harshly. Joey shakes his head and pales._

" _No." he whispers and I nod._

" _Then get in and don't say anything." I say as we crawl into the limo. Roland comes out holding Joey's father by the scruff of his neck. Roland tosses Joey's father into one of the alleyway trash cans and promptly climbs into the driver's seat. He raises an eyebrow at Joey curled up next to me._

" _My company for the night. To Kaiba Mansion, Roland." I say as imperiously as I can manage with my slurred speech. Roland nods and starts heading to Kaiba Mansion. He is somewhat used to my drunken "dates" being male, even though most people think I am straight. The drunken blonde curls up as close to me as he can, face in my neck as he shakes uncontrollably. I wrap my arms around him in a comforting embrace reminded of when I used to be like this and had no one to comfort me. I was always alone until Mokuba was born. Then it was just the two of us until Gozaburo adopted us. Living at the orphanage was hard, but who knew living with our adoptive father would be even harder. I took the abuse to keep Mokuba safe, until Gozaburo finally died and left us Kaiba Corp. It took years of therapy for me to get past some of what was beaten into my head. To this day I still have issues with being touched. One night stands are no problem since I am usually drunk out of my mind, but long term relationships are another story. My work and Mokuba are too important for me to have another relationship. Not to mention the lack of intimacy kills what other relationships I have tried to have._

 _I reach into the mini fridge in the limo and pull out the bottle of scotch. Joey looks at me curiously and I offer the bottle to him. He takes a big swallow and gags. I chuckle and take a small sip, passing the bottle back to him. He shakes his head, grimacing as he tries to get rid of the taste. I just shake my head and keep bumming off the bottle, relaxing even more. Joey suddenly stiffens, snatches the bottle from me and downs half the contents. He shivers and starts swaying precariously as he hands the bottle back. I watch him warily and shove him off me just as he starts to puke and cry. I sigh as Roland peeks back to look at me in concern._

" _Just take us home. He will be fine. Scotch doesn't agree with him." I mutter as I hold Joey's hair off his face and stroke his back slowly. I crack the windows and hand him a cup of water. He takes it and rinses his mouth, this time managing to make it into the small trash bucket I set in front of him._

" _I'm sorry." He cries as tears stream down his face. I hold my face with his hand and shake my head._

" _Don't be sorry. Scotch takes some getting used to." I say. Chocolatey brown eyes find mine and I see his thanks hidden there. I know it wasn't the scotch but something he remembered, because I have done that several times; even in front of Mokuba, something I swore I would never do. The music in the background shifts and I hear the familiar strains of a favorite song. I hit a button to turn the volume up and sing along quietly as Joey settles into my arms again._

" **Memories consume like opening the wound, I'm picking me apart again. You all assume I'm safer in my room, unless I try to start again.**

 **I don't want to be the one the battles always choose, 'cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused. I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way, I know it's not alright; so I'm breaking the habit, I'm breaking the habit tonight.**

 **Clutching my cure, I tightly lock the door. I try to catch my breath again. I have much more than any time before, I have no options left again.**

 **I don't want to be the one the battles always choose, 'cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused. I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way, I'll never be alright; so I'm breaking the habit, I'm breaking the habit tonight. I'll paint it on the walls, 'cause I'm the one at fault. I'll never fight again and this is how it ends.**

 **I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream, but now I have some clarity to show you what I mean. I don't know how I got this way, I'll never be alright. So I'm breaking the habit, I'm breaking the habit; I'm breaking the habit tonight."**

 _The song fades and Joey looks at me in wonder._

" _You like that song too?" he asks and I look at him curiously._

" _It's the song of my life. It's a struggle some days to get out of bed after a night like this, when memories flood my mind and cripple me. I swore I would never show weakness a long time ago. I am constantly struggling not to let the past into my present. To not let what was beaten into me come out. I was taught that fists are the answer. I struggle to keep that at bay. Especially for Mokuba's sake." I say and Joey nods._

" _Me too. But for my sister Serenity's sake." He says and I just stare out the window as more memories come forward. I grab the bottle and take a big swallow, grimacing at the burn that follows. I put the bottle back and let my head rest on the back of the seat. All too soon we stop in front of the mansion and Roland opens the door to help Joey and I out of the stinky backseat._

" _Have the limo cleaned and detailed before I have to use it in the morning." I say with some disdain before Joey gets sick again on the sidewalk. I sigh. "Come on Mutt. Bedtime." I growl softly as Joey starts to pass out. Roland leaves to deal with the car and I start hauling the almost lump of mutt up to my room. One of my maids comes to help as I reach the stairs. I look at her sideways as she takes half of the puppy in my arms._

" _Is Mokuba asleep for the night?" I ask gruffly and the maid nods. "How soundly?" I mutter and she smiles, "Your date is safe from discovery, Master." She says and I grunt in acknowledgement. "Call the physician; he needs to look at my date before he wakes up." I order and the maid scurries off as soon as the blonde is deposited on my bed. I start stripping the mumbling blonde of his clothes and try to ignore my growing attraction to the mutt._

" _Stop it, Kaiba." I hiss at myself as I admire the blondes surprising bulge under his boxers as I pull his jeans off. Before I can stop myself I start tracing the lines and planes of muscle on his chest and abdomen softly. I see the scars and bruises littering the otherwise flawless skin and I see red. Roland walks in as I trace a clear boot print on Joey's ribcage._

" _Sir, the doctor is on his way." He says briskly and I nod sharply._

" _Thank you, Roland." I say and stand up. Roland nods and backs out of my room as I make my way to the bathroom to draw a bath. The tub is half full of hot water and bubbles when a knock on the door signals the arrival of the doctor. I answer the door shirtless and let the man inside._

" _What can I do for you today, Master Kaiba?" he asks and I point to the almost unconscious blonde on my bed._

" _He needs your attention." I say briskly and the doctor nods._

" _What is wrong with him?" is asked and I sigh._

" _Probably alcohol poisoning and a bad beating." I reply tightly. The doctor looks skeptical but comes over to see the naked blonde lying motionless on my bed. He whistles softly as he catches sight of the bruises and marks._

" _You weren't hoping on bedding him were you, Master Kaiba, because he is in no condition for any activity, of any kind. It's amazing he hasn't died honestly." The doc says feeling the blonde's chest. "I'd wager he has at least three cracked ribs and a concussion. Alcohol hasn't helped any either." I fight down the urge to remove the doc's hands off of the mutt and I growl lowly._

" _I wouldn't touch the mutt even with a ten foot pole. All I want from you is your medical opinion on how he sustained his wounds and heal him. I want you to give a written testimony and full exam review. I am anticipating needing evidence. Take pictures." I say and hide the scarlet blooming on my face at the doctor's interested probing glance. He bows his head and I leave the room as he reaches for his bag of tools. I find myself wandering down the empty hallways sobering up until I find myself outside my workout room. Without another thought I begin beating up the weight bag as faces of bullies and my step father flash before my eyes. I only stop when I hear a snap and the bag hits the floor with a solid thud. About that time I hear a piercing bloodcurdling scream echo from upstairs. I sprint upstairs as fast as I can, jumping over a confused and sleepy Mokuba rubbing his eyes._

" _Seto?" he asks and I fling open my door to see the doctor cowering on the wall and a shrieking Joey writhing on the bed. I jump on the bed and grab the flailing blonde's wrists pinning him to the bed with the weight of my body._

" _Shhh, Pup, you are safe. Wake up now." I purr lowly in his ear. I am answered by whimpers as I feel his body relax until he opens the chocolate brown eyes I admire when no one else is around. "That's a good Pup." I whisper and Joey whimpers, I hear the undercurrent of pain and slowly roll off of him. I gather him to my arms and rock him gently as he starts shaking and crying. I hear the door close and glance up to make sure the room is empty. When I see that it is I gently pull the blondes face up to look at me._

" _Shh. You won't have to ever go back to him. I have plenty of extra room here. Mokuba needs a babysitter anyway. If you want that that is." I say softly, touching my forehead to his as his shaking stills. Joey looks confused as he registers my words._

" _I thought you hated me? Why are you being so nice to me now?" he asks suspiciously, but with hope that it's not just sympathy or pity. I look the frail blonde right in the eyes as I consider my next words._

" _This is no pity party for you here, Pup. Contrary to how I act I do not hate you. I actually have been trying to hide my attraction to you for a long time. No one but Mokuba and Yugi actually knows what I am about to admit, Joey. I am gay and have been in love with you for a long time. It infuriates me beyond reason that someone could hurt you like this." I say softly, letting my emotions into my eyes. Joey looks shocked._

" _Then why are you always so mean to me?" he asks hurt. I sigh in shame._

" _I honestly envied you; you always seemed so happy go lucky, so strong and confident. I was jealous that you seemed to have it so easy while I struggled for everything." I barely finish my sentence before the blonde kisses me fiercely. I grunt in surprise but melt into the kiss as I lay him backwards onto my bed, pinning him with my body. I feel him growing under me and smirk._

" _So much for alcohol poisoning." I chuckle darkly as I move down the blonde's neck, kissing the bruises tenderly. Joey whimpers in a mix of pleasure and pain and fear._

" _Easy, Pup. Nothing more than kisses I swear." I murmur quietly with another gentle kiss on his throat. Joey purrs softly and I feel him relax again. I get a grin on my face as I turn on the radio and hear the song playing._

" **Boy, you know I want your love, Your love was handmade for somebody like me.**

 **Come on now, follow my lead, I may be crazy, don't mind me.**

 **Say, boy, let's not talk too much, Grab on my waist and put that body on me.**

 **Come on now, follow my lead, Come, come on now, follow my lead.**

 **I'm in love with the shape of you, We push and pull like a magnet do.**

 **Although my heart is falling too, I'm in love with your body.**

 **And last night you were in my room, And now my bedsheets smell like you**

 **Every day discovering something brand new**

 **I'm in love with your body, Oh I oh I oh I oh I**

 **I'm in love with your body, Oh I oh I oh I oh I**

 **I'm in love with your body, Oh I oh I oh I oh I**

 **I'm in love with your body, Every day discovering something brand new**

 **I'm in love with the shape of you."**

 _I sing along with the song as I trace Joeys body suggestively, feeling my response to him increase and I see his face change to lust as he feels me against him. I purr softly as my eyes darken._

" _Oh God Pup." I murmur as he undulates against me, slipping a hand down into my pants. I pull his boxers off and growl longingly. Joey looks at me and starts tugging on my shirt. I slip out of my shirt and begin taking off my jeans staring deep into the chocolate brown eyes watching me. I pull my boxers off and watch Joeys eyes widen as he chokes a bit._

" _Oh." He whispers, looking even more turned on yet afraid._

" _Don't worry, I will be gentle." I purr as I lay my body back over his and pinching his nipples while I kiss his neck._

" _What if I like it rough?" Joey pants and I smile._

" _I can do that if you desire. But I require a safe word that you must use the minute you feel too much pain. I don't want to injure you further." I whisper into the blonde's ear lowly and watch him quiver in response._

" _Yes, Kaiba." The blonde moans as I nip on the soft skin of his neck lightly._

" _My name is Seto." I growl, nipping a bit harder as I feel Joey grow harder under me._

" _Yes, Seto." He breathes and I purr as I feel myself get even bigger. I roll him on top of me as I reach into the drawer on my nightstand and pull out a bottle of lube._

" _Prep yourself, Pup." I growl as I pour some on my own hand to start rubbing my own eager length. Joey pants and his eyes darken as I watch him lustily as he carefully inserts one finger in himself to begin stretching his ass for me. He locks eyes with me and I smile dangerously._

" _Dragon." He says with a moan and I raise an eyebrow._

" _Is that the safe word?" I ask and Joey nods as he slips another finger inside himself. I smack his ass and he jumps._

" _Is that the safe word?" I ask, growling._

" _Yes, Seto!" Joey moans and I smile._

" _Very well then, Pup. Keep going." I nibble gently on the blondes throat and he whimpers at the push of a third finger. When he stops flinching at the movement I roll him over under me._

" _Who is the prettiest puppy?" I ask softly as I kiss and nibble the blondes neck as I gently guide myself into his stretched opening. Joey gasps and rocks up into me._

" _Not me." He says with a fleeting look of disbelief replaced by ecstasy. "Oh Fuck, Seto. Feels so good." He whimpers and I growl softly._

" _You are the prettiest puppy, regardless of what you think or have been told." I whisper in his ear, letting my breath raise goosebumps as I start moving slowly in and out of his still tight hole. Joey fists his hands in my hair and I shiver in pleasure. I take his erect cock in my hand and start jerking in time to my thrusts as I pick up speed and intensity. His whimpers and moans egg me on until I finally let go and make him scream my name. With one sharp tug the blonde under me orgasms and I slam into him one final time as I reach my climax as well. I press a kiss to his lips as I collapse on top of him and roll off to the side so as not to hurt him more while still holding him close. Joey whimpers in pleasure and sleepily kisses back._

" _Thank you, Seto." He murmurs before a soft snore escapes him. I chuckle._

" _Anytime my beautiful Puppy." I murmur as I too succumb to sleeps dark hold…_


	3. Chapter 3

***disclaimer: oops, forgot them on the previous ones but i do not own yu gi oh or its characters or anything except the idea for the story. enjoy!***

 ***also i do not own any of the songs, as of now it is Breaking the Habit by Linkin Park and Shape of You by Ed Sheeran.***

 **Joey's p.o.v.**

I wake to a bright light and the sound of murmuring voices, a steady beeping echoes loudly in my ears and I squint around trying to figure out where I am.

"Joey?" Mokuba's voice asks and I turn towards the sound.

"Mokie? Is Seto here?" I ask quietly, my throat burning and I cough. Mokuba sighs.

"No, he's more mad than I have ever seen him. What were you thinking, Joey? Did you want to die? Because you almost did, again." Mokuba says quietly and I flinch.

"Shit." I whisper. "Can you call him, Mokie?" I ask and Mokuba sighs.

"I suppose I have to. Even if he said he didn't want to be disturbed." Mokie says and I flinch again.

"He's really mad isn't he?" I ask hesitantly.

"He's even madder than he was when your dad got his hands on you the second time." Mokuba says and I shiver.

"Oh." I choke, paling. Mokuba nods as he pulls out his phone and dials Seto's number.

"Hi, Big Brother. Just thought you would like to know that Joey is awake and wants to see you. What do you want me to tell him?" Mokuba says and listens intently then flinches.

"That's a bit harsh don't you think, Big Brother?" he asks and then sighs.

"Fine. I will tell him. See you soon." Mokuba says and looks at me with concern. I shiver.

"Seto will be here soon. I am supposed to go back to Kaiba mansion when he gets here. He is still pretty mad, Joey. Why did you drink that much?" Mokuba asks and I cringe.

"Mokuba, kid, do you know much about what my dad was like?" I ask and he shakes his head. "He made Gozaburo look like an angel." I say and Mokuba pales. "Seto has been my saving grace and almost losing him to Pegasus was more than I could take. I shouldn't have done it and I am very sorry that you saw that. It would kill me to lose Seto and I should have been more careful in how I dealt with the situation, it is just still hard for me to have that many memories and panic attacks in such a short time. I am sorry, Mokie, I really am." Mokuba shakes his head.

"I understand, Joey. Just make sure you explain that to Seto. I don't think he thought of that." Mokuba says and I nod.

"I will." I say as the door opens and a glaring Seto stands there. I swallow nervously and shrink down into my bed as Mokuba stands and leaves without another word. Seto comes in and sits on the chair at the end of the bed. I say nothing until he speaks first.

"Ordinarily I would tell you to pack your bags and leave my house for the stunt you pulled in front of Mokuba, but even the thought of you not being in my bed for another night is enough to make me rethink that judgement." Seto sighs burying his face in his hands.

"I am sorry, Seto. I know I shouldn't have done that. I just lost control. It would kill me to lose you, Dragon." I whimper, and Seto looks at me with pained eyes.

"I know, Pup. It would kill me to lose you, but as long as you are in this state I will not keep alcohol anywhere you are, I had the maids clean out the limo and house of any and all alcohol. When you prove trustworthy I will allow alcohol back in the house." Seto says firmly and I nod.

"That's fair." I say and Seto sighs again.

"I haven't slept in three days, Pup. I will speak to the doctors about letting you come home now. You have a lot of apologizing left to do." He growls and I shiver.

"Yes, Dragon." I murmur, glad that he seems to have forgiven me. He grunts and stands up, coming to my bed to kiss me softly before walking out of the room.

"Seto?" I ask before he gets to the door. He stops and looks at me.

"I love you." I say, showing him as much love as I can in my eyes. His blue eyes soften a bit and he smiles slightly.

"I love you too, Pup." He says and then leaves my room to talk to the doctors while I wait patiently.

Seto comes back in looking angry with a doctor on his heels.

"I am sorry, Mister Kaiba but I really cannot justify releasing Mister Wheeler given the state we received him in." the doctor is saying and I sigh.

"I am feeling much better though, Doc. is there any way at all I can go home? Please? I really miss my bed." I say giving my best puppy dog eyes, the doctor sighs.

"I will decide after my examination, Mister Wheeler. Mister Kaiba, please leave so I can conduct my exam." the doc says and Seto's scowl says it all as he storms out. the doc sits next to me and looks me in the eyes.

"Mister Wheeler, Joey, I want you to be honest with me. Are those bruises consensual? Do you feel safe going back home with Mister Kaiba?" she asks and I am surprised.

"What do you mean? Seto saved me from my father, who did much worse to me than the hickeys and handcuffs during sex. Of course I feel safe with him, he took care of me when my father almost killed me." I say indignantly. The doctor looks surprised.

"I see. Well in that case I believe you are recovered enough to be released, on the condition that you stay alcohol free." she says with a warning glare. I nod.

"Seto's had the mansion and limo cleaned out, and if I even so much as look at a bottle he will probably skin me. But I don't feel like I need a drink so I can keep that promise, Doc." I say with a shiver. The doc chuckles.

"I can only imagine." she says and I shake my head.

"You have no idea." I say. she nods and gets up to let Seto back in the room.

"Mister Kaiba, Mister Wheeler is fit for discharge into your care. As soon as the paperwork is drawn up you are free to take him home." she says and walks out, calling for a nurse to bring me my clothes while Seto sits next to me.

"She asked about the marks didn't she?" Seto asks softly and I nod.

"She musta thought you abuse me or something." I say and Seto scoffs with a snarl hidden under it. I take his hand and make him look at me.

"Not many people are going to understand us, or what we have lived through. It's always going to be a question, Seto. Always going to be a thought." I say and he sighs.

"I know, but the idea of me hurting you is just absurd." he growls.

"I know that, you know that, but not the doctors, or even many of my friends. People who don't know our history, our pasts, wouldn't see it that way." I explain and Seto kisses me to stop me from talking.

"Trust me, I know, Pup. Now hurry up and get dressed I want to get you home and in bed." Seto growls softly and I quiver.

"Ok." I whimper and the nurse hands me my clothes. I take them into the bathroom to change while Seto waits impatiently. When I am finally dressed he holds my paperwork and is looking at me with lust darkened eyes.

"Finally, your paperwork is done, we are free to leave." Seto smiles and I smile back.

"Take me home, Dragon." I whisper with a kiss to his cheek as he sweeps me out of the door and into the limo waiting to take us home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four:

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except the plot.

That song is back, the one that echoes through my brain ever since I slapped Joey for drinking almost an entire bottle of whiskey in front of Mokuba after the fiasco of a meeting with Pegasus. "I'm growing so distant, nothing makes sense to me anymore." I hum as I sit in the hallway outside intensive care. Mokuba is no doubt at home by now and even though I am livid at Joey I cannot bring myself not to be here while they pump his stomach and flush his entire system from alcohol. "The walls are closing in, I dare you to walk in my shoes. Can't explain what's come over me come over me." I drop my head into my hands and wait for any news whatsoever from the doctors. "Please Joey, come back to me." I whisper. I need to apologize for slapping him, need to have his arms around me again to chase away the memories of being alone in that dark place Pegasus sent me too, twice. I pull at my hair until it hurts warring with myself. I am not only angry with Joey but angry with myself. I should have stopped him, should have Mokuba ride up front while I took care of Joeys anxiety."I'm wasting here Can anyone wash it all away. I'm waiting here For anyone to wash it all away. Wash it all away." The guilt and anger have made me almost cold. I can see it but dont know how to fix it. Mokuba flinches when he looks at me right now, his voice quivers when he calls. I havent slept in the two days joeys been in icu unconcious. The nurses beg me to eat, drink and sleep or go home but i cannot. I cannot go home to my empty bed, and i cannot sleep while joey is still so fragile. One of the doctors eye me with suspicion but i couldnt care less. I walk with joey when he is moved to a different room out of icu after he stabilizes according to the monitors. It is now day three. Mokuba stops by and all but orders me to go home, nap and change my clothes. I grumble and feel my guilt waning as the day drags on. I finally agree to go home only when kaiba corp calls me saying they need me for some emergency. Roland drives after i leave explicit orders to call me if something happens to joey, but i am not to be disturbed under any other circumstances. Mokuba nods and takes a seat next to joey to wait for him to awaken or for me to return, whichever one comes first. As i leave i hear a nurse gossiping about the abuse victim who tried to kill himself with alcohol poisoning and how awful it is that something like that could happen to such a young man. I clench my fists and turn to facr her. "Excuse me? But what abuse victim is here who tried to kill himself?" i ask dangerously. The nurse pales. "The young blonde man who just spent two days in icu." she says and i growl. "Make no mistake, nurse. He is not abused. Far from it. He is very well taken care of and if not for me he would be dead by his fathers hands." the nurse looks taken aback then blushes. "I am very sorry mr kaiba, i did not know. However the doctor has documented the bruises and marks seen on the young mans wrists, ankles, and neck." she says quietly and i growl. "It is none of your business of theirs what marks are on his body, if it was up to me none of you peasants would ever have touched or seen him. However, with the onset of several panic attacks and ptsd flareup i had no choice to bring him here because he tried to drink away the pain." i snap and the nurse pales again. "Yes mr kaiba. I understand." she murmurs and i storm off down the hallway, livid that someone could actually believe that i would hurt joey. Roland opens tge door silently and drives me back to the mansion. Another song plays on the radio and i turn up the volume to sing along. "I'm growing so distant, Nothing makes sense to me anymore. I'm learning to resist, Becoming more than you ever were. Can't explain What's come over me, Come over me. Can't explain Why it's so hard for me, So hard to see your side." roland knocks on the door and lets me out as soon as we are parked and i storm inside, unable to look at the interior without joey here brightening the place. I take a shower hot enough to leave burns on my skin before putting on a clean pair of jeans, black shirt, and signature white trenchcoat. I go back downstairs where i am greeted with a hot meal and stack of documents. I eat quickly and sort through the papers. Once i am done i head to kaibacorp. Everyone in my building flinches when i fling open the door and storm inside. Immediately i go,into my office and begin looking over the reports for the "emergency" i was called in for. I open my laptop and begin to fix a network error on my newest project. It takes abut twn minutes before i am done. The secretary nods as i leave. "I am going back to the hospital, do not bother me again." i hiss on my way out. As i am stepping out of the elevator my phone rings and i see mokubas face. "Yes mokuba?" i ask, my voice still hard and angry from the nurse and work. "Joey is awake and asking for you." he tells me and my heart surges. "I am on my way back to the hodpital now. Do not let any doctors or nurses near him until then." i growl and mokuba hangs up after a quick,"ok.". I drum my fingers on my knee as roland drives me bck to the hospital. I meet mokuba getting ready to open the door. I see joey flinch when he sees me and i soften even as i see the same nurse from earlier whispering to the doctor i assume is the one who is concerned about joeys marks. Mokuba steps out and i shut the door firmly behind me. I sit down next to joeys bed and sigh, unable to speak until i compose myself. Joey waits quietly for me to speak, no doubt terrified of me right now. I look up at joey, my earlier anger vanishing and my longing to have him wrapped around me spikes. "I should make you leave for that stunt you pulled in front of mokuba, but i cannot bear the idea of you not being there. I havent slept in three days, pup." i say softly, a small tinge of anger surfacing. Joey tears up and swallows, "im so sorry, seto. I know i shouldnt have lost cobtrol like that, i just... Couldnt bear losing you like that." he whimpers and i grunt. "Thats exactly what ive spent the last three days saying about you, pup." joey pales and apologizes again. I shake my head. "I need you home right now, you can apologize there in our bed." i say stopping his next words and standing to go get the doctor to sign the release documents. "Mister wheeler is awake? Good. I shall examine him. Mister kaiba you must stay here." the doctor says as i exit the room and i growl. "Out of the question, i dont care who you think you are mister wheeler comes home with me now." the doctor gets a steely glare and shakes her head. "I am sorry but i cannot do that. Not with the condition we recieved him in. You will stay here while i examine him." she says opening the door and i slam it shut. "You think i am a monster dont you? You have no idea what you are accusing me of do you? I would never hurt joey, not now not ever. Those marks you are reasing in to are and always have been consensual. If you knew anything about him you would understand." i snarl. She looks at me calmly. "I hear that from abusers and their victims alot mister kaiba. Now stay here." she says and walks inside joeys room while i snarl and pace outside. I hear joeys incredulous voice inside the room and smile. The nurses watch me anxiously and i finally walk inside. "Can he come home now?" i ask impatiently and the doctor nods. "Based on what joey has said and he promises i see no reason why not." she says and leaves to draw up the paperwork i presume. Joey looks at me as i am scowlin and he touches my arm. "She aked about your bruises didnt she?' i ask and joey nods. I growl lowly amd joey sighs. "The idea of me hurting you is preposterous." i say and joey touches my arm again. "Not everyone knows that though seto. I mean if you were not sleeping with me and you didnt know what i liked and you saw the bruises on my wrists and ankles what would you think?" he asks and i think about it for a minute. "That your date was one lucky bastard i had no claim to you because i'd kill him." i say seriously and joey chuckles. "That answer doesnt surprise me at all." he says and i shrug. "Its the truth pup." i say and he nods. "But outsiders don't automatically jump to the consensual rough sex conclusion. They jump to abuse first." he says and i sigh, "i know. They do everything opposite." i say bitterly. Suddenly i stand to go check on the status if his discharge, leaving him with a nurse who brings his clothes inside. I see the doctor and she finishes her signature and looks up at me. "He is very loyal to you, mister kaiba, i hope you appreciate that." she says and i raise an eyebrow. "If you knew even half of what ive done for him you would understand how ludicrous that statement is. Is his paperwork done and are there any guidelines i need to be aware of?" i ask and the doctor halfsmiles. "No alcohol, no stress, no undue harshness, he is still recovering from almost dying." she says and i pause. "Sex is ok but not if its too rough." i state and she nods. "Perfect." i growl and take the papers from her andhead back to joeys room where he is going to the bathroom to get dressed. He comes out and i show him the papers. "You are finally free to go." i say with a smile and joey purrs as my eyes darken. "Take me home, dragon." he murmurs and it's all my selfcontrol not to pick him up and carry him out or take him right then and there. I grin as my eyes darken even more and i escort him out to roland and the waiting limo. Once joey crawls inside i make sure the divider is up, mokuba is in the front seat and i pounce on joey, pinning him to the seat as i kiss him fiercely. He gasps and moans, writhing under me in the way i adore. I claim his mouth until his body relaxes into putty. I pull back with a grin, "miss me?" i ask and joey purrs. I lightly smack his hip and he groans, "i said did you miss me?" i growl harshly. "Yes, i did, seto." joey whimpers in my ear and i kiss him gently. I pull him into me so he is on my lap and bury my face in his chest, inhaling his scent. Joey wraps his arms around me and i feel his confused expression. I look up and see his concern. "I was ordered not to be too rough since you are still recovering from almost dying, again." i explain and joeys eyes soften. "Do not hold back on me because you think im fragile, dragon. I know ive earned a severe punishment indeed." he says and i grip his hips tightly in my hands. My puppys eyes roll back in his pretty face and he moans softly as the bulge in his jeans gets bigger. My eyes darken and i growl possessively. "Alright then pup, as soon as we get home you will go upstairs, shower, prep yourself and then wait for me on the bed in the chamber, knees apart hands on your neck." i growl and watch as joey shivers. "Yes, my dragon." he whispers and i kiss him harshly. Joey whimpers as i roam my hands up and down his body hungrily. With both eyes locked on his i raise one of his wrists and kiss the faint blue marks gently. Joey shivers and i nip lightly, watching as he spasms and hisses in pleasure, eyes drooping halfway shut. "Eyes open." i growl and bite harder, leaving a perfect imprint of my teeth over the fading bruise. Joey moans and his eyes snap open. I stroke his face lightly and purr. "Thats my good puppy." i switch to his other wrist and trace the fading marks there with my lips. Joey shivers and i move my lips to his neck as i jerk both his arms above his head with one hand. My other hand fists into the hair on the nape of his neck, tilting his head up so i can leave a trail of bites down his pale flesh. Joey groans and struggles against me until the limo suddenly stops and i hear doors open. I growl in frustration as i let a dazed and limp joey go to climb out of the limo and escort him to his feet. I smack his ass and growl in his ear before walking up the front walkway, "remember what my orders are." joey shivers and nods before following me wobbily into the house. I go into the kitchen to talk to mokuba while joey heads up to our room to do as i told him. Mokuba looks up, a bit afraid and i sit down heavily. "Im sorry mokuba for how ive been acting the last few days, i just have been working through things in my head. How are you holding up?" i ask and mokuba looks relieved. "I am better now that i know you wont be kicking joey out. Ive been more worried about you though big brother. Ive never seen you act like that with joey, you always seem to treat him more gently. Like you are afraid he might break, but then i do catch him every now and again putting makeup on bruises." he says and i cringe. He raises a hand. "I dont want to know how they get there or why, because i see how good you two are together. I am only glad you seemed to have forgiven him for his lapse of control and judgement. I hope you gave him a chance to explain big brother." mokuba says with an accusing glare and i shake my head in wonder. "Trust me mokuba, he has nothing to explain, i already understood why it happened and i honestly blame myself for not thinking about his needs at the time. I thought he could make it home before he relapsed. See joey has ptsd and anxiety issues because of his father. His method of dealing with that kind of pain is to drink. I found a different way to help him but i am not discussing that with you because well, youre fourteen. I should have been better prepared for his actions. I wasnt and he paid the price unfortunately. I did not have to forgive him, he had ti forgive me. I also had to forgive myself. That being said, you will be on your own tonight for dinner and bed. I must make the time for joey. Do you understand? Tomorrow will be a normal day for all of us i promise." i say and mokuba nods. "I get it seto. Take care of joey." he says andi tousle his hair. "Thanks mokie." i say and head upstairs to the secret room i had built. Joey is waiting for me as i ordered and i grin. "Look at me." i growl and joeys hed snaps up to look at me. I stay where i am and step out of my shoes. Joey watches hungrily and i unbuckle my belt and slide it out of my pants, letting my pants drop down my hips almost an inch. Joey whimpers and i shrug out of my jacket. I take off my shirt, revealing the planes of muscle i know joey adores. Sure enough, his breath hitches and i smirk as i reach for my pants. Joey whimpers pitifully as i slowly undo the button and zipper to let my pants pool at my feet. I step out of my pants and socks and walk over to joey. "Up." i growl and he rises to his feet without moving his hands from his neck. I kiss him soft at first and then harder, until i feel him completely melt against me. I step back and look at my puppy panting and flushed as well as deliciously hard. "My bad puppy, disobeying me. However shall i punish you?" i ask softly and joey shivers. "You may speak." i growl and joeys knees start to weaken. "Maybe my dragon should spank his disobedient puppy." joey whimpers and i tilt my head. "Is that all?" i ask and joey shakes his head. "Perhaps my dragon would consider suspending his puppy as he spanks him with the leather flogger." joey murmurs, blinking at me from under his lashes and i grin. "Stand under the grid." i growl, and joey scurries over to the side of the room to stand under a bunch of hangng chains and straps. I take off my boxers and go to my cabinet where i retrieve my favorite black and silver leather flogger. I walk back to joey slowly, slapping the flogger strands against my hand sharply. Joey flinches with every smack and i grin softly. "Legs apart, hands in the air." i purr and joey obliges, bracing his feet against the posts for the elevated pegs. I reach for the leather cuffs and strap joeys wrists into them. He is standing on tiptoes and i move the pegs into place. "Up, and do not fall off." i say and joey steps onto the pegs, allowing some relaxation on his arms. I walk around joey, examining the setup. I reach into a drawer and pullout a golden silk blindfold. I tie it around joeys eyes and smile. "Perfect." i purr and joey whimpers. Witout a warning i strike joeys back with the flogger with a sharp smack that echoes. Joey cries out and jerks in the cuffs, almost losing his balance on the blocks. I strike his feet sharply with the flogger. "Do not fall." i growl and joey struggles to keep his footing. I kiss his lips gently and gently flog his chest. I pull away and lay the flogger on his shoulders quickly and sharply. The smacks resound through the room and i lightly pinken his back with a few soft whacks. I settle into a rhythm of soft and hard strokes until joey is almost screaming and nicely red all over. I drop the flogger and lightly run a hand down his heated skin. Joey moans and i kiss him softly, everywhere i can. I come in front of him and grab behind his knees, wrapping his legs around my waist as i kiss his mouth softly. With one hand i undo the blindfold, letting it fall away to reveal honey brown eyes misted with tears. I gently kiss his eyes and rub my hands through his silken hair. "How is my puppy feeling?" i ask softly and joey kisses me passionately. "Very well punished my dragon." he says and i smile. "Do you feel like you have made up for your disobedience?" i ask and joey shakes his head. "No my dragon. I have not." he says quietly and i nod. "What else should be done for your punishment?" i purr and joey looks at me through lashes again. "Would my dragon like to punish his puppy with the collar?" he asks and i immediately flush. "Oh pup, its been a long time since you asked for a collaring. Can you ever forgive me for not taking care of you when i should have?" i purr sinking to my knees in front of joey. My golden puppy drops into my lap and kisses me softly. "I will answer that after you collar me." he purrs and i growl. "On your knees." joey immediately plants his knees and hands on the ground, head bowed gently. I stand and stride over to another cabinet where i retrieve a collar, a mask, a tail, and two sets of cuffs. "Come here." i order and joey crawls over to me to sit at my feet. "Good boy." i say softly as i begin putting on the equipment. Joey whimpers and i kiss him gently when i finish. "Stand up." i growl and joey obeys flawlessly. "Bring me a glass of water. From the kitchen." i order and i gracefully lounge across the chaise. Joey whimpers and begins shuffling across the room to go to the kitchen. I smile until joey is out of the room. "I'm so sorry for the Demon I've become, You should be sorry for the angel you are not. I apologize for the cruel things that I did, But I don't regret one single word I said. Just walk away, Make it easy on yourself. Just walk away, Please release me from this hell. Just walk away There's just nothing left to feel. Just walk away, Pretend that none of this is real." i sing softly a tear escaping my eyes. I hear a startled shriek and a crashing sound of dishes breaking and i sigh. I rise off my couch and don my trenchcoat, careful to close it, i do not care for my servants and brother to see me naked. I stride down to the kitcen where a maid is frantically picking up dishes and joey is cowering on the floor terrified and on the brink of a panic attack. I growl, alerting the maid and joey to my presence. "Get out." i snap at the maid and i drop to my knees in front of joey. "Breathe, remember my order. I am thirsy, you will bring me a glass of water. Do not step on the broken dishes." i purr and joey shakily moving to the cabinet where the glasses are stored. He fills the glass with ice and , bringing me the drink carefully. I pat his hair and smack his ass, "back up to the chamber pup." i purr, taking a sip of water before folowing him upstairs. I hear a sobbing maid somewhere but i am more focused on the blonde in front of me. I open the door and make my way back to my couch, dropping my coat on the floor. "Come here." i growl patting my thigh. Joey climbs up and curls up next to me. I take an ice cube and place it in joeys navel. He flinches and rolls so the ice will not move. I take another ice cube and swirl it around his nipples. Joey moans and his head falls back against my shoulder. I kiss his neck, biting the sensitive skin until he screams. I flip on top of him and start licking the melting ice off of his nipples and stomach. My blonde puppy arches into my tongue and whimpers. "How does my pretty puppy feel now?" i growl softly. "May i remove the collar now?" he asks and i bite his neck as i smack his hip lightly. "Ask correctly." i purr and joey melts in my hands. "May i remove my collar now my dragon?" he moans and i kiss him gently. Slowly, teasingly, i begin by removing his cuffs, his mask, his tail, and then the collar. I kiss the skin on his neck where the collar made it red. Joey purrs and i pull him to me holding him close. "Feel better?" i murmur in his ear and joey purrs in my ear, nuzzling my neck. I chuckle and move us to the bed where i lay him out gently. In one movement both his wrists are tied to the headboard and i kiss every inch of skin i can. Joey purrs and twitches under me. I slowly move down the blondes lean body until i am between his knees looking up at his face. Joey catches his breath and i swllow his entire length as he moans and pushes into my mouth more. I work the blonde into a frenzy with my mouth as i stroke myself off. I feel joey gettng closer to the edge and i release him to lube myself up before sliding into his tightness. Joey gasps and screams as i fill him. The sudden tightness almost makes me lose it but i reign it in and thrust slowly into him, rolling my hips gently. I focus each movement with precision, making sure i hit that bundle of nerves that makes my pup scream until he has no voice left. Joey levitates off the bed as he explodes in my hand and i growl before i pick up speed, determined to make him come again. I stroke the hardening flesh in front of me as i pound into him mercilessly. Joey screams and explodes in my hand as i slam into him and release with a moan of satisfaction. I collapse on top of my puppy, undoing his wrists and wrapping my arms around him. We lie there, taking comfort in eachothers presence until joey yawns. I smile and bury my face into his shoulder. "Sleep my pretty puppy, you have earned it." i murmur. Joey yawns again. "I love you, seto." he sighs and i kiss his chest softly. "You are my world, pup." i whisper. The blondes eyes droop shut and he snores gently as he sleeps. Soothed by joeys smell and sounds i drift off as well.


	5. Chapter 5

It is dark when i open my eyes, seto still snores softly next to me and i relax again. I dont remember what woke me up in the first place but i instantly calm down by having seto near me. I stretch slightly and wince at how sore i am. I feel the welts and bruises decorating my skin and feel warm all over. I snuggle back into setos arms and he growls softly, folding me into his arms like a safety cage. Feeling warm and content i drift back off to sleep. I am awoken sometime later by seto rolling out of bed. "Dragon?" i mutter sleepily, before waking up. Seto leans down and kisses me softly. "Just going to the bathroom, i will be right back. Unless you want to go to our normal bed?" he whispers and i stretch. "Our bed sounds nice." i say and get up. Seto kisses me softly again before disappearing to the bathroom while i make my way to our room. I flop down on the bed and moan as my muscles and bruises protest. I hear a noise and roll over, expecting seto to be coming in. A shadowy figure looms out of the darkness and grabs me by my throat. "Thought you were rid of me huh boy? Thought you could play slut to the rich boy?" my fathers alcohol stained breath fogs my face and i react in a panic, swinging my fist to knock his head sideways. The fingers loosen on my neck enough for me to scream,"SETO!" i hear a door slam and feet thudding across the floor as my dads fist collides with my nose. I hear a snap and feel blood gush down my face as my head is thrown backward from the force of the punch. I hear a thud and cracking as i scream one last time before my dads fingers tighten around my throat again. "I told you i would beat the gay out of you boy." he growls in my ear and i am hit in the ribs with each word. I feel my bones crack and i scream even as i gasp for air. My dad laughs terrifyingly and i kick at him, trying to buck him off of me. "You cant fight me boy." he says and i curl a fist to hit him in the face. He punches me again and i feel the bone in my face crack as my skin breaks around my eye. Suddenly, a hand wraps around my dads throat and he is drug off of me. Setos face screams murder as he tightens his fingers mercilessly. I crawl away to the bathroom, whimpering and gasping for breath as the pain hits me. I see a shattered door and i marvel at how strong my dragon is when he is angry. I hear my dad squeak as seto snarls. "I dont know how you got out of prison, but i will make sure you dont rise from the dead this time." i hear a sickening snap and a thud. Soft footsteps make their way across the room and i twist into the corner of the bathroom to watch the doorway with my good eye. Seto appears in the doorway and as soon as he sees me he drops to his knees and crawls towards me. "I am so sorry pup. Come here. He wont be a problem again. Ever." seto says gently and i whimper as i move into his arms. Setos fingers trace the marks and feel my ribs gently. I hiss as he touches the ones that are now cracked. Seto sucks in a sharp breath and growls softly. "Come pup, you need a doctor." he says quietly and i try to stand but my body disobeys me. I shake my head, my throat too sore to talk. Seto sighs. "I will be right back, do not close your eyes, do not move." i nod and seto stands, disappearing from the bathroom. I hear a startled shriek and i flinch. "Calm down, mokuba. Hes dead." setos voice says calmly and i hear a soft thump and crying. Measured footsteps come back across the floor and seto appears again with a sobbing mokuba. "Mokuba please. I must take care of joey." seto says and mokuba pales when he sees me. He crawls out of setos arms to come sit by me. Seto holds out a robe and i drape it around my naked body while seto calls a number on his phone. "Roland. Joeys father just attacked him again. Somehow he got out of prison and into the mansion. I need you to check the security footage, find out how he got in, and check who bailed him out of prison. I want to know how he found out joey was here." seto says in his classic 'i expect to be obeyed without question' voice. He hangs up and dials another number. "I need to report a death at kaiba mansion." he says briskly and growls. "No i need an immediate pickup of the body. I do not want this trash in my house any longer." seto listens intently and snarls. "No the dead party broke out of prison, into my home and assaulted my lover. The dead party also had a gun. Now i will say again, get this trash out of my house immediately." seto hangs up and dials a third number. "Yes doc i need you to come to the mansion as quickly as possible. Joey is very injured and i cannot move him." seto calmly speaks into his phone now, his blue eyes staring into mine. "Thank you." he says and hangs up. My good eye waters with tears and i fall forward as my world turns black. I hear seto roar and mokuba scream before i am lost in the darkness again.


	6. Chapter 6

*disclaimer: i do not own anything in this fanfic except the plot. Songs in chapter four belong to five finger punch.*

Joey's eyes go glassy as he pitches forward into my arms as I dive to catch him. Mokuba shrieks as I yell. "Get me that ambulance now!" I bellow and the collecting staff scatters. Roland comes rushing upstairs with a pair of uniformed police officers. "Mister kaiba the police are here to question you about the death you called in." Roland says and I gesture to the bedroom as I struggle to keep Joey breathing. "The body is in there. Deal with it and leave me alone. I have more important things on my mind. Roland check on the ambulance and doctor." I snap and Roland scurries out while the police go back into the bedroom. Joey's breathing falls shallow and erratic just as Roland comes back in. "The ambulance is here Mister Kaiba." Roland says slightly out of breath. I scoop Joey into my arms and rush him downstairs to the ambulance. The paramedics take one look at Joey and immediately floor the gas. In a few minutes we screech to a halt outside the hospital where they whisk Joey away to an operating room. I collapse into a chair and start shaking uncontrollably. With shaking hands I call Yugi. "Yugi? Joey needs you. He is here at the hospital undergoing surgery. His father got out of prison somehow." I choke and Yugi gasps. "I will be right there." he says and I hang up. Mokuba comes and curls up on my lap while we wait for Joey and Yugi. The time drags on until Yugi finally arrives. "Wow Kaiba you look awful. How is Joey? What happened?" he asks as he sits next to me. "Yugi. Joey's father got out of prison, broke in to the mansion and assaulted Joey pretty badly. Joey's father is now dead. And Joey is here." I say and Yugi gapes in shock. "Holy cow Kaiba." he says. I shrug. Yugi shakes his head and we laps into silence until the doors to the operating room open and a doctor comes out looking grave. "Mister Kaiba? Joey just got out of surgery. He is not in good shape. I am not sure he will make it. Come with me so you can say your goodbyes." the doc says. /spanA flash of light happens and a deeper voice emanates from yugi as he faces the doctor. "Please take us to him." yami says aspan style="color: #000000;"s two/span brunettes span style="color: #000000;"appear. "Ah, Tristan, Anzu, stay with Mokuba here. Seto and I must go see Joey." Yami says and the brubettes nod. I am limp and stunned/span while yami picks me up and helps me walk behind the doctor to joeys room. Joey lies on the hospital bed with tubes coming out of his nose, arm, and chest. The steady beeping of his heart monitor seems to echo in my ears. "Oh pup." i whisper as yami half drags me to joeys side. Joey has a bandage around his head and stomach while a brace covers his throat and neck. I grab joeys hand shakily and yami steps back. "Please pup, come back to me. You cant leave me alone. Im better off dead if you go." i say, beginning to cry as i burrow my face against joeys chest where its not bruised or bandaged. Despite the machines breathing for him i hear his breathing hitch and shallow while his heart beat picks up a few paces. A doctor comes rushing in and pauses. "Well i will be damned. Hes waking up and breathing on his own now." the doc says coming over and tocuhing joeys other wrist. I lift my eyes up and see brown eyes looking at me softly and painfully. "He needs more pain meds doc." i say still staring into joeys eyes with relief. "How can you tell? If i give him more he could overdose." the doc says and i chuff. "I can tell because he is crushing my hand and by the way his eyes are holding me." i say still not looking away. The doctor fiddles with a dial and joeys eyes soften as the look of pain dulls. "Thats perfect doc." i say and the doc shakes his head. "I have never seen something like this before. You two must have one very special bond." he says takin a step back to observe. I nod and joeys hand tightens around mine. "I am here pup. I wont leave. You can sleep now. The nightmares wont get you." i say gently and joey smiles slightly before his eyes shut and his vitals slow to a normal sleeping pattern. "How bad is the damage to his lung? Does he really need the tube?" i ask turning to face the doctor yet keeping my grip on joeys hand. The doc nods. "The tube allows joey to breathe while keeping his throat almost paralyzed so it can heal. His lung is also a bit torn up so having the tube keeps it from collapsing." i nod. "I will not be leaving his side. He has horrible anxiety during sleep unless i am nearby. I think that is why you had such difficulties with him during surgery and now." i say amd the doc nods. "Very well mister kaiba. I will not disagree because i see the difference your presence has made here already. His brain waves are even, indicative of real sleep and his heartbeat is actually normalized, as are his respirations even in spite of the tubes." the doc says and i smile slightly. "If i was the type to believe in it i guess this is where i say something corny like love conquers all." i chuckle and yami coughs. The doc looks at both of us, shaking his head. "I will be back to check on him later. I will have a meal sent up for you as well. What would you like me to arrange for your other companions?" doc asks moving towards the door. "Send them in. I will have my staff bring me something." i say and the doc nods before leaving. Yami sits next to me and mock glares at me. "You still deny the power of love and friendship even after you bring joey back from the brink of death how many times?" he asks and i shrug. "How do you know it was me and not his own inner strength breaking through." i ask and yami shakes his head. "Everything about joey is so intune with you he knows when you are near without seeing or hearing you. I have seen it when he falls asleep and you enter the classroom. He tries to play it off but i could see through it. Joeys inner strength alone would not have gotten him through this if you hadnt come up when you did. Reminding him of how much he loves you, how much you need him, is what pulled him through just now. You might not believe it, but it is true kaiba." yami says with a knowing look and i sigh. "I believe it yami. I do. And i meant every word i said to him. He is my world, and even with mokuba still needing me, i would die without joey here." i whisper and yami nods. "I know kaiba. It is the same with yugi and i. In fact it is why we are looking for a way to separate ourselves, so that we are not sharing one body and can be together for real. Nobody else except joey has picked up on our feelings for eachother. And when i told yugi about you and joey, i confessed my feelings for my aibou as well. So i do understand how you feel kaiba." yami says softly and i grunt. "I wish you both best of luck. In the meantime i have a private project in construction at kaiba corp that might help you with what you want to do. It will allow you to hopefully both exist at the same time for a short time. You can come and use it anytime you like." i say and yami smiles. "That is most generous. Thank you." he says and i shrug. "Maybe joey has finally rubbed off on me." i mutter, looking back at my sleeping blonde. Yami chuckles. "Dont kid yourself kaiba, you are a good person without joey too." he says and i stay quiet, unable to reconcile myself to the word good. We lapse into comfortable silence until mokuba and the two brunettes are shown in. Mokuba promptly jumps on me and the two brunettes sit close to yami. A knock on the door makes joey flinch and i tighten my grip on his hand as yami calls a quiet "come in." a nurse sticks her head in through the door and falters at my glare. "A miss serenity, mister bakura, mister malik, mister devlin, mister ryou and mister marik are here to see mister joey." she says and i huff. "Oh fine, send them in." i growl and yami nods slightly. The nurse retreats and then comes back in, "a miss valentine just joined the party." she says and i sigh. "Just send in anyone visiting joey." i huff and the nurse disappears. No sooner than the door is shut then two albinos, three blondes and another brunette enter the room with a black haired male. I recognize yugis geekdom of friends and resist rolling my eyes. The brunette female who looks like joey dashes to the bed where my blonde sleeps. "Joey!" she exclaims in horror. She turns to me as tears fill her eyes. "What happened seto?" she asks, clutching joeys other hand to her chest. "Your father. Decided a gay son was worse than no son." i say almost coldly and serenity looks shocked. "Father did this to joey?" she whispers and i nod. She looks sick and looks away from to look at joey. Out of the corner of my eye i see an interesting picture. Each one of the albinos has taken up residence on a blonde male lap while both pairs of matching hairs maintain linked hand. The brunette female is talking to the blonde female while yugi is trying to separate the brunette male from the black haired male. I groan quietly under my breath at the displays of affection everywhere. Serenity must hear it because she looks up and sees the scene as i do. "Tristan. Why dont you take a couple people to the cafeteria to get food for us." she says with a hard look at the brunette male. "Of course!" he says rather quickly before snatching three sets of hands and dragging one albino, one blonde male, and the black haired male out of the room. The blonde female grabs the remaining nerds and disappears as well, leaving only mokuba, yami, anzu, serenity and myself in the room with joey. Anzu looks at serenity and serenity sighs. "Tristan and Duke are dating. Joey doesnt know yet. I only pretended to date tristan because him and mai were roommates and well... I am actually dating mai." serenity says and i smirk at anzus shocked expression. Serenity looks at joey and yami looks at me with a raised eyebrow.  
"Joey knows serenity. He had me look into that situation because he suspected about tristan and devlin. Anzu have you really not picked up on the fact that you literally are the only straight member of this group?" i ask and mokuba blushes. I ignore mokuba and anzu looks a bit surprised. "What?" she asks. I chuckle. "Or is there something you want to tell yami about you and mana?" anzu blushes and yami starts laughing. "Is nothing to embarrassed about anzu, mana already told me. I think its wonderful she finally has a girlfriend." yami says with a smile. Anzu buries her face in her hands and mutters something as she escapes the room. Mokuba smacks my shoulder and i ruffle his hair. "Calm down mokuba. Theres nothing wrong with being straight. Just because most of us arent doesnt mean you are defective." i say and yami chuckles. "If anything it just means that we are." yami says and mokuba turns red before making excuses to leave. Only yami and i remain in the room with joey and he yawns. "So how did you become so informative on the goings on with our small group of friends?" yami asks and i sigh. "Joey told me that i am part of the group since he and are dating as well as living together. So he employs a few of my private investigators to dig up information, they of course report to me so i end up knowing everything that goes on with your group." i admit and yami chuckles. "Well i should have expected something like that. I think you are almost as good as i am about finding out secrets." i smile. "Probably. Speaking of secrets, what is the deal with the albinos and the blondes?" i ask and yami smiles serenely. "They have a unique relationship. They date their twin as well as their opposite." he says and i raise an eyebrow. "So bakura and ryou date as well as bakura and malik. While marik and malik date as well well marik and ryou?" i ask and yami nods. "You can ask joey about them but i am sure he would just shiver and curl into a ball. He finds bakura and maliks relationship slightly disturbing. Especially since both of them are completely insane. If they werent my cousins i would have left them in the shadow realm." yami says and i shiver. "That place is scarier than your cousins, and ive seen bakura left unattended while bored." i mutter and yami shivers. "I actually agree with you on that." he says. Joeys hand tightens on mine and he whimpers. I look back at joeys face and see his eyes opening. "How are you feeling pup?" i ask softly. Joey whimpers and i run a hand over his forehead. His skin is redhot and i hiss as my skin starts to turn red. I punch the call button and wait until a nurse comes in. "Whats wrong muster wheeler?" she asks and i stand up. "Hes got a bad fever." i say and show her my hand. She lets out a gasp and runs out of the room yelling for a doctor. Two doctors come rushing in brandishing pieces of equipment and one of doctors gasp when a thermometer beeps at them. "Quick into an icebath now!" the other yells as they start disconnecting tubes to make joey mobile. I rush out of the room following joeys bed as they sprint him towards a set of metal doors. A nurse tries to stop me but she moves aside when i glare at her. I enter the room as joey is being lowered into a metal tub full of ice and water. I see him tense and then as he hits the water. I push aside one of the doctors hovering around him as i reach for his hand. Joey wraps his fingers around mine and i search his face for what he wants to tell me. "I think he needs some pain meds too." i say and the nearest doctor looks at me blankly. "How did you get in here?" she asks and i sigh. "I am his boyfriend and only person who can understand him while he is mute from the damage to his throat." i say and the doctor nods. "Painkillers coming up." she says and goes to a cart to pull up a syringe of something. "What is that?" i ask noticing joeys worried expression. "Tylenol. It will help lower his fever as well as help with his pain." the doctor says and joey relaxes again. "Very good." i nod. I watch as the doctors check joeys fever again. "Well at least its dropping." one of them says. "Why did it pop up in the firdt place?" another asks. "And why so suddenly?" a third says, they all turn and face me. "His hand never changed temperature or left mine once i was allowed in his room." i say. Joeys teeth start chattering together as he starts shaking violently. "Im pretty sure his fever is gone." i say pointing to joey as he turns blue. The doctors rush him into a warm blanket and i sigh. "You all are going to kill him. Bring me a double wide bed with a down blanket back to his room. Make sure i can access wifi and a tv." i growl as i carefully pick joey up and begin carrying him back to his room. One doctor chases after me while the others find what i requested. "Mister kaiba his system is going into shock, he could develop hypothermia if he warms up too fast after his fever." the doctor huffs at me. I raise an eyebrow as i keep walking. "It is your fault in the first place. An ice bath to break his fever? And then a blanket? Please. He is always climate controlled next to me." i growl and joey looks up at me with warm soft eyes full of love. "I know pup, i like having you back in my arms too." i murmur quietly. The doctor drops back and i enter joeys room to find the nurses setting up what i asked for. Once the bed is setup i lay joey on the sheets and cover him with the blanket. I settle myself on top of the blanket and let joey cuddle himself against me. I open my laptop and begin working as he falls asleep again. I smile softly at my sleeping blonde and stroke his hair softly before continuing with my project.


	7. Chapter 7

*disclaimer: i own nothing but the plot. All songs belong to adele, evanescence, FGL, Zedd, lady gaga, skillet, rag n bone man, the cab, and breaking benjamin.*

I drift off next to Seto as he types on his computer. My body stops shaking and I finally feel normal. Seto strokes my hair and I am lost in a black pit of dreams. Lyrics fill my dreams and I tumble from image to image as the songs change.

" **Hello from the outside,**

 **At least I can say that I've tried**

 **To tell you I'm sorry for breaking your heart**

 **But it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart**

 **Anymore** **.**

 **I'm frightened by what I see**

 **But somehow I know**

 **That there's much more to come**

 **Immobilized by my fear**

 **And soon to be**

 **Blinded by tears**

 **I can stop the pain**

 **If I will it all away.**

 **Has no one told you she's not breathing?**

 **Hello I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to**

 **Hello**

 **Hello, how are you?**

 **It's so typical of me to talk about myself, I'm sorry**

 **I hope that you're well**

 **Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened?**

 **It's no secret that the both of us**

 **Are running out of time**

 **hold on to me love**

 **you know i can't stay long**

 **all i wanted to say was i love you and i'm not afraid**

 **can you hear me?**

 **can you feel me in your arms?**

 **I wont stay long in this world so wrong. Say goodbye as we dance with the devil tonight. Dont you dare look at him in the eye as we dance with the devil tonight. Hold on, hold on, hold on.** "

I feel myself falling falling falling when I hear my name. I struggle up into the light again as I hear Seto singing softly to me.

"

 **Embers in the ashtray glow like memories that won't let go**

 **I'm out here trying to get them untangled**

 **In the darkness on the edge of town**

 **A little lost, a little found**

 **Waiting on a call from an angel**

 **All you have to do is stay a minute**

 **Just take your time**

 **The clock is ticking, so stay**

 **All you have to do is wait a second**

 **Your hands on mine**

 **The clock is ticking, so stay**

 **I light up the night and let it burn**

 **Lean back and watch the sundown fade**

 **But if I told you I love you,**

 **Would it make you wanna stay?**

 **I'm sorry for the way I hurt you**

 **And makin' you walk away (I shoulda took the time to tell you)**

 **And if I wrote you a love song**

 **and sang it to you everyday**

 **Would it ever be enough to**

 **make you wanna, come back home and stay?**

 **All you have to do is stay a minute**

 **Just take your time**

 **The clock is ticking, so stay**

 **All you have to do is wait a second**

 **Your hands on mine**

 **The clock is ticking, so stay**

 **and stare**

 **Off at the headlights on the highway**

 **That guy in the windshield looking back looks just like me**

 **But there's a crack in the reflection**

 **But if I told you I love you,**

 **Would it make you wanna stay?**

 **And if I wrote you a love song**

 **and sang it to you everyday**

 **Would it ever be enough to**

 **make you wanna, come back home and stay**?"

I open my eyes weakly and see Seto's face looking at me worriedly. "Don't you dare leave me Joey, I am nothing, nothing without you." he whispers and I struggle to smile, struggle to convey that even though I do not want to leave my body is betraying me. "Look at me Pup. **Baby tell me yes and I will give you everything, baby tell me yes and I will be right by your side. I will fix you with my love."** my dragon rumbles and I search his face. I see his determination to not lose me and I grimace as I raise one hand to his cheek.

" **I'm only human afterall, you're only human afterall.** " I whisper gently and Seto lets a tear fall. "Keep fighting Pup. Please." he begs. " **I hate feeling like this, I'm so tired of trying to fight this. The more I hide I realize I'm slowly losing you.** " I cry, feeling weak and helpless.

"

 **Tonight I'm so alone**

 **This sorrow takes ahold**

 **Don't leave me here so cold**

 **Never want to be so cold**

 **Your touch used to be so kind**

 **Your touch used to give me life**

 **I've waited all this time, I've wasted so much time**

 **Don't leave me alone**

 **Cause I barely see at all**

 **Don't leave me alone, I'm**

 **falling in the black**

 **Slipping through the cracks**

 **Falling to the depths can I ever go back**

 **Dreaming of the way it used to be**

 **Can you hear me**

 **falling in the black**

 **Slipping through the cracks**

 **Falling to the depths can I ever go back**

 **Falling inside the black**

 **Falling inside falling inside the black**

 **You were my source of strength**

 **I've traded everything**

 **That I love for this one thing**

 **Stranded in the offering**

 **Don't leave me here like this**

 **Can't hear me scream from the abyss**

 **And now I wish for you my desire**

 **Don't leave me alone cause I barely see at all**

 **Don't leave me alone, I'm**

 **falling in the black**

 **Slipping through the cracks**

 **Falling to the depths can I ever go back**

 **Dreaming of the way it used to be**

 **Can you hear me**

 **falling in the black**

 **Slipping through the cracks**

 **Falling to the depths can I ever go back**

 **Falling inside the black**

 **Falling inside falling inside the black** **."** echoes through my mind before all is still.

Seto's pov

Joey's breathing settles down to barely there and I push the call button quietly. A nurse comes in and eyes us twisted around eachother. I growl slightly, directing her attention back to me. "Get me the best doctor here and immediately. If I lose Joey I will make sure this hospital is levelled." I hiss as Joey's breathing slows even more. The nurse bobs her head and sprints out of the room. "Oh pup, don't give up. Please stay with me." I murmur into his ear again. A slight increase in Joey's breathing is all the response I get and I feel my heart constrict so tight I feel it might implode and kill me too. A tear slips down my cheek as helplessness overwhelms me. A doctor comes in and I look up. "What seems to be the problem Mister Kaiba?" he asks taking a seat across from me. I look at the doctor like he is insane. "My lover is barely breathing even with a respirator and you are asking me what is wrong?" I snarl incredulously. The doctor sighs. "Mister Kaiba, there is nothing more I can do for Joey. It is all on him now whether he makes it or not. Threatening the staff here will not keep Joey alive if he wants to go." the doctor says and I snarl. "He wants to live but his body is failing him." I snap and the doctor looks resigned. "How do you know?" he asks bluntly and I pause. "Because Joey has been through worse and still survived. He is a fighter, a survivor, more so than I ever could be or am." I say softly. The doctor nods. "The maybe you are not fighting hard enough for Joey." he says and stands. "I have other patients Mister Kaiba. The rest of my staff knows to take extra special care of Mister Wheeler. If anything goes wrong they come straight for me." doc says and walks out. I look at Joey sleeping next to me and a tear tracks down my face. "I will fight for you Joey, but I need help. I cant do this without your help." I whisper and Joey's heart flutters. I pause. " **Get out your guns, battles begun,** **are you a saint, or a sinner?**

 **If loves a fight, than I shall die,**

 **with my heart on a trigger. T** **hey say before you start a war,**

 **you better know what you're fighting for.**

 **Well baby, you are all that I adore,**

 **if love is what you need, a soldier I will be.**

 **I'm an angel with a shotgun,**

 **fighting til' the wars won,**

 **I don't care if heaven won't take me back.**

 **I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.**

 **Don't you know you're everything I have?**

 **and I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight.**

 **Sometimes to win, you've got to sin,**

 **don't mean I'm not a believer. A** **nd major Tom, will sing along.**

 **Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer.**

 **They say before you start a war,**

 **you better know what you're fighting for.**

 **Well baby, you are all that I adore,**

 **if love is what you need, a soldier I will be.**

 **I'm an angel with a shotgun,**

 **fighting til' the wars won,**

 **I don't care if heaven won't take me back.**

 **I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.**

 **Don't you know you're everything I have?** **and I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight.** **I'm an angel with a shotgun**

 **fighting til' the wars won**

 **I don't care if heaven won't take me back.** **I'm an angel with a shotgun,**

 **fighting til' the wars won,**

 **I don't care if heaven won't take me back.**

 **I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe.**

 **Don't you know you're everything I have? A** **nd I, want to live, not just survive, tonight** **and I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight.**

 **They say before you start a war,**

 **you better know what you're fighting for.**

 **Well baby, you are all that I adore,**

 **if love is what you need, a soldier I will be**." I sing quietly and Joey's heartbeat evens out steadily and strongly. I smile and pull Joey closer to me, careful not to bump his broken ribs. "I am right here, not going anywhere. If you need me to fight now, I will." I murmur before I join Joey in a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Seto

I wake to the steady beeping of the monitor and the sound of artificial breathing. I look over at the blonde next to me and smile. I stretch gently and notice the nurse trying to be unnoticed. "What's the verdict?" I ask quietly and the nurse looks at me. "His vitals are still low but steady. It will be longer yet until we know he will pull through." she says and I nod. "His fever?" I ask and she smiles. "His temperature is normal." she says and I smirk. Joey whimpers next to me and I stroke his hair softly. He curls into my side and I whisper in his ear. Almost immediately his heart rate beeps faster and his body flushes pink. The nurse turns red and runs out of the room. "I do not even want to know what you told him." she chokes and I chuckle. "No you do not." I agree. With another chuckle I settle back down to sleep again.

Joey

A hand wraps around my throat and I smell stale alcohol as a shadowy face laughs in my face. I gasp for air and swing my fist. I connect with flesh and keep pounding away until my arms are pinned to my sides and I'm flipped over. I feel my jeans being pulled down and I scream. A voice breaks through the haze clouding my mind and I stop struggling. "Shh, Pup it's ok. Calm down. It's just a dream." Seto says softly and I whimper as I try to open my eyes. Finally I open my eyes and see Seto staring at me with sympathy. A red mark blossoms over his cheek and his eye and I gasp. "Seto!" I wheeze before coughing. "Don't talk, Pup. Your throat is still pretty messed up. I am fine. Apparently you thought I was someone trying to hurt you again." Seto says softly and I reach out with shaky hands to touch the bruise starting. Seto watches me warily and relaxes when I gently brush the marks I left. I draw his face to mine and kiss the sore skin soothingly. Seto purrs quietly and kisses me on the forehead. "I've missed you, Joey." he whispers and I smile to let him know I missed him too. "Sleep, Joey. You need it." Seto says and I snuggle down against his warmth to sleep again.


	9. Chapter 9

*disclaimer: i own nothing but the plot. I do not own yugioh or its characters.*

*A.N. sorry it has been so long. Had lots of trouble with my phone and computer. Not to mention work has been killing me. Hope you enjoy!*

Seto

I am woken by Joey thrashing in the bed and wheezing. I sit up and try to restrain the tossing blonde only to get a fist to the eye. I growl and the next fist hits my cheek. Eyes watering i manage to get Joey subdued by almost laying on him so i can whisper in his ear. Finally he stills and opens his eyes slowly, as if he is scared of who he will see. "Easy Pup. It is only me." i say quietly and Joey gasps as he sees the blooming red marks on my face. "Do not apologize. I know you didn't mean it. Been a long time since you had a dream that bad. I understand Joey. It is fine." I whisper nuzzling into his neck. I can't help the flinch when he raises a hand towards my face but i hold still so he can touch the bruising marks gently. A whimper builds and i stroke his hand gently, cupping him to my face. "i know Pup. I know." i murmur and i watch as he falls asleep again while i hum our song and cradle his head to my chest, my heartbeat a lullaby and reminder he is not alone.

Joey

The steady beat of a heart wakes me up and I wince as I stretch. Arms tighten around me in reflex and I settle down. Sleepily I glance up to see Seto sleeping fitfully, his brow furrowed and his hands clenching into fists on the sheets. I reach up carefully and stroke his cheek gently, careful to avoid the purple spot that I gave him. His face softens and he opens his eyes. Pain filled blue meets mine and I lean in for a kiss. Seto purrs and gives me a small kiss before wrapping me tighter against him. My ribs protest but I ignore it, sensing he needs my comfort right now. "seto?" i whisper hoarsely, and then cough as my throat constricts. "sorry Pup. Bad dream." he murmurs and I turn his face to look at me. "i am going to be fine Dragon." i say, struggling to get the words out around the swelling still blocking my throat. Seto looks at me and closes his eyes. "you always know what dreams i have before i even tell you." he mutters before giving me a bruising kiss. I can feel all of his desperation pain and fear surfacing in that one kiss and i crawl on top of him, pressing my body into his. Seto growls underneath me and i smirk. "you are lucky you are in no condition to bottom to me right now Pup." seto growls and i grin. "oh?" i ask and Seto's eyes darken. "you know what i mean Joey. Do not try and play innocent." he purrs and i flush. "just fuck me." i whisper and Seto smirks. "anything for you Pup." he says and pulls the blanket over us both as he unbuttons his pants and shifts my hospital gown up so he can see my body. He pulls me forward for a kiss and his hands wander gently down my body until he finds my entrance. I moan as he starts teasing me. "i am not glass Dragon." i mutter and he pulls my chin up to meet my eyes. "right now you are. Let me do this my way." he purrs and i sense something different about the way he handles me in the next kiss. I melt against him and purr contentedly. "you win." i gasp as seto gently nibbles on my neck. He chuckles darkly and i gasp when i feel him position himself at my entrance. "relax, Pup." Seto purrs with a soft nip at my neck. My eyes roll back and i press myself against him and he pushes back until he slips inside me. A kiss silences my moan and his hands settle on my hips to guide me up and down along his length. I struggle to keep quiet as Seto moves and then he grabs my hair and tilts my chin up to bite my neck where it's the most sensitive. I feel like the scream that i let out echoes through the entire hospital. Seto clamps a hand over my mouth and starts pounding into me, setting me on fire from the inside as he hits my prostate every time. His other hand drifts to my length and strokes in time to his pounding until i am shaking. My teeth clamp into his hand and he hisses but keeps going as i stiffen and whine around his hand right before coming all over him. Seto's eyes darken and he thrusts into me one last time before exploding inside of me. A few final jerks and he shivers before pulling me forward and kissing me, releasing my mouth. "holy Ra, Pup. I tried to be easy…." he whispers just as a knock resounds through the room. Seto growls and i quickly cover his bleeding hand and slide over to close my eyes and pretend to sleep. "come in." Seto calls quietly and i hear a nurse enter. "is everything ok? We thought we heard a scream." the nurse says coming closer. "joey had a bad dream. It happens. I calmed him down. As you see he is sleeping." seto says calmly and i hear the nurse stop. "very well. I will check in later." she says and i hear the door shut. I open my eyes and inspect Seto's hand. "i am sorry." i say as i kiss the bleeding teeth marks gently. "i would rather you bite me like that than you scream the place down so that every single doctor and nurse interrupts us." Seto says gently, cupping my face. I smile. "mostly because you don't like to share and don't want them looking at me." i giggle and Seto smiles. "what can i say? I am a selfish man. And i do not like to be interrupted. I can honestly say it would not have ended well for anyone who stepped in that door while i was pleasuring you." Seto growls and i flush. He chuckles and pulls me close. "i love you Pup. Never doubt that. I would die and kill for you." he whispers and i choke slightly. "i know Seto. I know." i whisper and cling to him tightly. "don't ever leave me." i almost beg burying my face in his chest. "never." Seto says softly, stroking my back gently and lulling me back to sleep.


End file.
